Good morning everyone. First time poster and long time reader of this board. Been a Tech fan since moving to Atlanta from Bluefield, West Virginia as a kid in 1977.
The questions to me are these: Can Georgia Tech find a niche in this talent market? Can it win these battles in a disciplined and intelligent manner?
I think Coach Key is showing us there is a place at the table for Georgia Tech in this Wild West competition that is the transfer portal. Every year the 4 and 5 stars hit the football factories. The next year a good portion of them will leave. Some of them will leave because of a poor fit with the school, while others will depart in search of more playing time. But there will also be a range of transfers, undergrads and graduates, who are seeking the kind of protection a strong degree can provide them.
Georgia Tech can offer the playing time with a major market spotlight and a P5 conference. But for the transfer who is looking long-term knowing they can do better academically as well as athletically, Tech has what no other FBS program competing in the transfer market possesses: the degree with the best return on investment.
Many of these players in the transfer portal will only be thinking about getting the kind of playing time NFL scouts notice. But there will be a segment of them who, having seen the other side of things at the colleges and universities where the athletic side is almost the only thing that matters, will want more from their new school than simply a showcase stage for their athletic talent.
From what I've seen, this coaching staff has done a good job getting the message regarding the strengths of Georgia Tech out to transfers who can come in and fill needed roles. While it is never going to be easy for a school that looks upon the concept of easy with contempt, there is nothing wrong with The Institute's football program that cannot be fixed by what is right with The Institute itself. Those who have done the best at Georgia Tech are those who are most comfortable with the school and what it is all about. I look forward to better days ahead, even in days of gridiron chaos at the collegiate level.