Brent Key expected to join Georgia Tech staff

[kg01]

How and why? What is this he must pay for his recruiting sins attitude come from? Whatever Key said is no worst than the same stereotypes of own fans peretuate daily. Hell even, TStan wants to remove “I Got Out” from the GT lexicon f

Yeah, in the grand scheme of things, it's not a huge deal. But I can see him being asked about it on some level.

I'm not sure it rises to the level of him needing to 'pay for his sins' and whatnot, but it's not a great look for that to be a lingering thing.

 

[smokey_wasp]

Yeah, in the grand scheme of things, it's not a huge deal. But I can see him being asked about it on some level.

I'm not sure it rises to the level of him needing to 'pay for his sins' and whatnot, but it's not a great look for that to be a lingering thing.

But is it even a thing at all outside of a handful of posters on this board? Social media reaction to the news of this hire has been overwhelmingly positive. I doubt casual fans care. If Key had anything to answer for in regards to this, he already would have done so with the people that matter before even being offered. I think it is a nothingburger and does us no good to keep bringing it up. Just MHO.

 

[whitegoldsphinx]

But is it even a thing at all outside of a handful of posters on this board? Social media reaction to the news of this hire has been overwhelmingly positive. I doubt casual fans care. If Key had anything to answer for in regards to this, he already would have done so with the people that matter before even being offered. I think it is a nothingburger and does us no good to keep bringing it up. Just MHO.

The way I see it, all is fair in love, war, and recruiting.

 

[kg01]

But is it even a thing at all outside of a handful of posters on this board? Social media reaction to the news of this hire has been overwhelmingly positive. I doubt casual fans care. If Key had anything to answer for in regards to this, he already would have done so with the people that matter before even being offered. I think it is a nothingburger and does us no good to keep bringing it up. Just MHO.

Ok, I guess. Sorry I brought it up.

 

[Bule]

The way I see it, all is fair in love, war, and recruiting.

Yep. All that matters is the program paying your check to recruit for them at the time. Doesn’t matter where you played before or coached before, they are now the enemy. It is what it is, you play the game or you lose

 

[ThatGuy]

Like many, I'm excited by this hire. Always glad to see a GT grad come home, and Brent Key has shown himself in more than one role to be a rock star - both as a recruiter and a coach.

That being said, I'm tempering my urge to jump up and down now and say "everything is awesome!" for a few reasons:

1. CPJ's system wasn't built for the traditional recruiting rankings. He would never have recruited certain types of players that are prototypical 5-stars, not because he didn't want to go after them, but because they simply didn't fit the system. So our rankings under CPJ were always going to be deflated, to a point (and yet they still held up decently next to CGC - who is admittedly not the best yardstick - and even better when you take out the best and worst recruiting years for both coaches to eliminate outliers).
   
   
2. I agree that Key is a great recruiter - but I also agree that his numbers are inflated by being at Bama. Not only because of Bama's success rate when they offer a recruit (I'd imagine it's higher than most places), but also because of the inherent 'Bama float' for rankings. How many times have we heard the story, "He was a 4-star, but he committed to GT - so he'll be a 3-star tomorrow"? Rivals and 247Sports have both said they will rank a Bama or uGA recruit higher, just because they committed to Bama or uGA. So that only works in his favor there.
   
   That being said, he's obviously a kickass recruiter based on his work at UCF AND the fact that he's beaten out the other Bama coaches in recruiting. No argument there.
   
   
3. I've seen a lot of different systems at GT over the past 40 years. Recruiting at GT is a tricky thing, and it takes a very special mix to make it happen successfully (along with a kickass set of coaches to make things work with what they get...Ralph Friedgen comes to mind.) Hopefully we've got some of that sort of lightning bottled up with this new staff.

So all that being said, I think this is a huge win for us, and I look forward to seeing what he can do back on the Flats (provided this is all not just a rumor). Like all of us, I'm hopeful this entire coaching staff can live up to the hype!!

[Edited for formatting.]

 

[smokey_wasp]

Ok, I guess. Sorry I brought it up.

I don't think you were the first and I don't wanna come across like I am telling people what is acceptable to talk about. I just think we have a tendency to look for negatives and flaws unnecessarily and it is tiring, at times.

 

[Techster]

Like many, I'm excited by this hire. Always glad to see a GT grad come home, and Brent Key has shown himself in more than one role to be a rock star - both as a recruiter and a coach.

That being said, I'm tempering my urge to jump up and down now and say "everything is awesome!" for a few reasons:

1. CPJ's system wasn't built for the traditional recruiting rankings. He would never have recruited certain types of players that are prototypical 5-stars, not because he didn't want to go after them, but because they simply didn't fit the system. So our rankings under CPJ were always going to be deflated, to a point (and yet they still held up decently next to CGC - who is admittedly not the best yardstick - and even better when you take out the best and worst recruiting years for both coaches to eliminate outliers).
   

[Edited for formatting.]

I'm going to have to respectfully flat out disagree with that first point. CPJ goes after the same 5 star QBs (see: DeShaun Watson, Justin Fields, Tua Tagovailoa, Jameis Winston, etc.) that all the big schools do. He goes after the same 5 star RBs, WRs, OLs. Heck, he even offered a 5 star TE a couple of times. CPJ says all the time that if you're good enough, the NFL will find you. Same thing with recruits, elite players fit into any system...it's a matter if those elite players WANT to play in your system.

Those elite guys did not. Calvin Johnson is on record as saying he probably would not have chosen GT if the spread option was here during his recruiting days.

 

[Milwaukee]

Ok, I guess. Sorry I brought it up.

Get bak coach better SHAPE UP lmao

 

[Milwaukee]

I'm going to have to respectfully flat out disagree with that first point. CPJ goes after the same 5 star QBs (see: DeShaun Watson, Justin Fields, Tua Tagovailoa, Jameis Winston, etc.) that all the big schools do. He goes after the same 5 star RBs, WRs, OLs. Heck, he even offered a 5 star TE a couple of times. CPJ says all the time that if you're good enough, the NFL will find you. Same thing with recruits, elite players fit into any system...it's a matter if those elite players WANT to play in your system.

Those elite guys did not. Calvin Johnson is on record as saying he probably would not have chosen GT if the spread option was here during his recruiting days.

This is 100% true and destroys a lot of people's excuses about top athletes not being able to get into Tech. You need not look at our commits to determine it, you need to look at our offers. We offer the best in the nation, we just haven't landed them for a decade. Kills the narrative wouldn't ya say?

 

[smokey_wasp]

I'm going to have to respectfully flat out disagree with that first point. CPJ goes after the same 5 star QBs (see: DeShaun Watson, Justin Fields, Tua Tagovailoa, Jameis Winston, etc.) that all the big schools do. He goes after the same 5 star RBs, WRs, OLs. Heck, he even offered a 5 star TE a couple of times. CPJ says all the time that if you're good enough, the NFL will find you. Same thing with recruits, elite players fit into any system...it's a matter if those elite players WANT to play in your system.

Those elite guys did not. Calvin Johnson is on record as saying he probably would not have chosen GT if the spread option was here during his recruiting days.

Yeah the only elite guys CPJ didn't offer were the true drop back QBs. For instance, I bet CGC would have gone hard after Trevor Lawrence. Otherwise, yeah.

 

[GT_EE78]

Eh. Hopefully the hype isn’t leading to unrealistic expectations here.

Yea but , realistic expectations are way over-rated.

 

[GT_EE78]

Expecting a Top 20 recruiting class next year.

Try for top ten , settle around 15 (like 07?)

 

[BurdellJacket]

This is 100% true and destroys a lot of people's excuses about top athletes not being able to get into Tech. You need not look at our commits to determine it, you need to look at our offers. We offer the best in the nation, we just haven't landed them for a decade. Kills the narrative wouldn't ya say?

Milwaukee, I’m afraid I have to disagree with you on your two main points. Firstly, you seem to indicate that the same athletes that can get into Alabama and UGA could get into Georgia Tech. I take great exception to that. Maybe some of them could. Read the book “Meat Market” about Ed Orgeron’s stay at Ole Miss where Many of the star recruits of Ole Miss as well as other SEC schools could not even qualify for the SEC schools. They had to be squirreled away in junior colleges where they were basically no entrance requirements. Then transfer in after a year or two. Many of those athletes could hardly spell their own names.

Secondly, surely you cannot argue the point that the very major portion of athletes that could qualify for entrance to Georgia Tech do not wish to go to one of the toughest STEM schools in the US while devoting a major portion of their time to athletics.

I am not arguing that Geoff Collins will not recruit higher star caliber athletes because of his sales strategy and enthusiasm plus it looks like he is hiring a number of top recruiters. But to say that Georgia Tech can successfully recruite and sign any and all the same recruits that UGA and Bama do is sheer folly.

 

[ATL1]

GT isn’t a difficult sale, it’s a unique one. Collins gets it. Brent will know how to sale the program from a unique perspective.

 

[gtstinger776]

Like many, I'm excited by this hire. Always glad to see a GT grad come home, and Brent Key has shown himself in more than one role to be a rock star - both as a recruiter and a coach.

That being said, I'm tempering my urge to jump up and down now and say "everything is awesome!" for a few reasons:

1. CPJ's system wasn't built for the traditional recruiting rankings. He would never have recruited certain types of players that are prototypical 5-stars, not because he didn't want to go after them, but because they simply didn't fit the system. So our rankings under CPJ were always going to be deflated, to a point (and yet they still held up decently next to CGC - who is admittedly not the best yardstick - and even better when you take out the best and worst recruiting years for both coaches to eliminate outliers).
   
   
2. I agree that Key is a great recruiter - but I also agree that his numbers are inflated by being at Bama. Not only because of Bama's success rate when they offer a recruit (I'd imagine it's higher than most places), but also because of the inherent 'Bama float' for rankings. How many times have we heard the story, "He was a 4-star, but he committed to GT - so he'll be a 3-star tomorrow"? Rivals and 247Sports have both said they will rank a Bama or uGA recruit higher, just because they committed to Bama or uGA. So that only works in his favor there.
   
   That being said, he's obviously a kickass recruiter based on his work at UCF AND the fact that he's beaten out the other Bama coaches in recruiting. No argument there.
   
   
3. I've seen a lot of different systems at GT over the past 40 years. Recruiting at GT is a tricky thing, and it takes a very special mix to make it happen successfully (along with a kickass set of coaches to make things work with what they get...Ralph Friedgen comes to mind.) Hopefully we've got some of that sort of lightning bottled up with this new staff.

So all that being said, I think this is a huge win for us, and I look forward to seeing what he can do back on the Flats (provided this is all not just a rumor). Like all of us, I'm hopeful this entire coaching staff can live up to the hype!!

[Edited for formatting.]

Big picture: these last two years sucked. I mean, we suck. Look at that picture of Qua Searcy during warmups. That’s a leader whose supposed to have been in a 5-year S&C program. We needed a change. I think the recruiting rankings are a better reflection of reality than many of us had been thinking until uga and Clemson started handing out a** kickings. Let’s also stop pretending that the cut blocking rules aren’t working against the TO - now a 5’9 185lb AB has to base block a 6’3 240lb LB rather than cut him. The prior system just wasn’t sustainable. That’s not to say it wasn’t fun to watch or we didn’t enjoy success - we did. PJ was a great coach. But it was time to move on

 

[Towaliga]

One thing to remember about the offers we have made but the SA didn’t come here is that often the offer may have been made by GT during their sophomore or junior (more likely) years prior to knowing their gpa’s or SAT/ACT scores and whether the student will actually qualify for admission. I’m not saying that is the only or primary reason we didn’t get them signed, but it is a factor.

 

[Milwaukee]

Milwaukee, I’m afraid I have to disagree with you on your two main points. Firstly, you seem to indicate that the same athletes that can get into Alabama and UGA could get into Georgia Tech. I take great exception to that. Maybe some of them could. Read the book “Meat Market” about Ed Orgeron’s stay at Ole Miss where Many of the star recruits of Ole Miss as well as other SEC schools could not even qualify for the SEC schools. They had to be squirreled away in junior colleges where they were basically no entrance requirements. Then transfer in after a year or two. Many of those athletes could hardly spell their own names.

Secondly, surely you cannot argue the point that the very major portion of athletes that could qualify for entrance to Georgia Tech do not wish to go to one of the toughest STEM schools in the US while devoting a major portion of their time to athletics.

I am not arguing that Geoff Collins will not recruit higher star caliber athletes because of his sales strategy and enthusiasm plus it looks like he is hiring a number of top recruiters. But to say that Georgia Tech can successfully recruite and sign any and all the same recruits that UGA and Bama do is sheer folly.

I think you're assuming a ton here. I would never say Tech is as easy to get in as Bama, you jumped to that conclusion on your own. I'd say with certainty that Tech isn't as difficult to get in as a large portion here say it is. We recruit the big dogs, that's a fact; we don't chase kids that don't qualify. With that being said, go look at our offer lists from previous years. The proof is right there whether you choose to take it out of context and then take exception to it or not.

Meat Market is SUCH a great book btw, I highly recommend it to anyone who hasn't read it.

 

[Milwaukee]

One thing to remember about the offers we have made but the SA didn’t come here is that often the offer may have been made by GT during their sophomore or junior (more likely) years prior to knowing their gpa’s or SAT/ACT scores and whether the student will actually qualify for admission. I’m not saying that is the only or primary reason we didn’t get them signed, but it is a factor.

This definitely happens in some cases.

 

[vamosjackets]

Very glad to get Coach Key! He was also a good dude back when he was a GA at GT under CCG. Also, it should help his cause in every way that his picture is up on the wall of GT All-Americans in the football offices. That's something Bama would never be able to match! I wouldn't be surprised to see him named co-OC.