CBK believes in GA Tech. He bleeds it authentically as he’s been there, done that. Recruits feel that.
Long post, grab a drink before reading. TL;DR: I agree.
Long-*** version:
This is what I kept thinking as the back-and-forth was going on amongst the members of this forum when we were evaluating head coaching candidates.
After Key's half-season as interim HC, I was bought in to him - but with a few lingering doubts.
While I was underwhelmed with the performance of the O-line under Key, I also understood a) it supposedly takes 3 years to build an O-line that gels, and b) TFG's operational style didn't lend itself to
anyone building an effective O-line (how do you train an O-line without any contact drills?). So I still had my doubts there.
But I was willing to overlook them, because of 2 things:
1) His results on the field as interim HC. I don't think I've ever seen an interim HC at any program I can remember have the same amount of positive momentum shift in a program. 4-4 was no huge win record, for sure - but it was better than any results we'd seen for 3 years. It was mind-blowing how much difference he was able to accomplish, in such a short time.
and 2) His obvious passion for Georgia Tech, and for the role of a head coach. To be fair to all those who weren't on the Brent Key bus, there's admittedly no real dollar value you can assign to this. Passion for a school does not equal wins. We've seen countless alumni head coaches go back to their alma maters and leave them worse than when they got there.
...but I kept thinking, "Key is different." He's not here because he sees it as the next logical step in his career (and it happens to be his alma mater). The dude put up with 3.5 years working under an HC whose approach was seemingly diametrically-opposed to Key's mindset. He had opportunities to leave for more money - and the "right" course of action for his career probably would've been to leave. But he stayed, in my opinion, because he thought he'd get the shot to build something better at Tech. He was willing to forego personal gain at the time to continue to invest in something long-term.
Then when he was hired, he took a contract that was less than others were making - although admittedly more money than he'd ever made in his life - and was loaded with performance incentives. This was a win-win - for both the school and him (even though many would argue he's getting underpaid).
Most importantly, he got a chance to "do over" as HC, after things at UCF came crashing down. And to do it at a program he loves. Having failed at a job before, it's hard to describe how incredibly valuable that is.
I'm convinced that every single word he speaks to a recruit, a coach, or an athlete on this team reflects the authentic passion mentioned above. Every single athlete on the team understands it. And they are buying into it (along, obviously, with many recruits). (NOTE: TFG had passion. But I don't think it came from as authentic a place as Key, who's "been there, done that.")
That's something you can't buy in a coach. It's something they just have to have, intrinsically. And all of that passion is on top of his work as a student of the game and the coaching profession for the past 23 years.
I'm damn glad we have this man (who got to Atlanta the same year I did) at the helm. It's refreshing to see someone who not only has a natural passion for the Institute, but also who has a plan for how to get us from point A to point B, and appears to have a relentless focus on execution.
I feel like we're at the trailhead. We're just getting started climbing the mountain. But we have a leader who insists on being right there in front, every step of the way, grinding it out just as hard as the team. And that's an awesome feeling to have after a few years of wandering aimlessly through the desert.
And I agree !