How Georgia Tech coach Brent Key turned around Yellow Jackets, has nation buzzing after win vs. Florida State

It didn't take long for Georgia Tech to make one of the biggest statements of the 2024 college football season. With Week 0's 24-21 win against No. 10 Florida State on Saturday, the Yellow Jackets have a claim to being "back" after years spent far away from the national radar. 

It's another achievement logged in a rapidly growing list for coach Brent Key in just his second full season as coach at Georgia Tech. Key took over as interim coach amid one of the worst stretches in program history -- the Yellow Jackets had three straight three-win seasons under Geoff Collins prior to his firing four games into the 2022 season -- and turned things around with a 4-4 record. 

That led to him earning the job on a permanent basis, a move that paid off immediately for Georgia Tech as he led it to a 7-6 mark, its first winning campaign since 2018. Now, the Yellow Jackets (1-0, 1-0 ACC) are close to making it back into the AP Top 25 after an almost nine-year drought. 

Saturday's win against Florida State (0-1, 0-1) snapped a 15-game losing streak against top-10 teams. It was also Georgia Tech's 10th outright win as an underdog since 2022, all of which have come under Key's guidance. 

Following the trajectory that Key has Georgia Tech on, it won't be considered an underdog for much longer. Here's how Key has led Georgia Tech right back to the forefront of college football's consciousness.  

Shifting the mentality 

Key sent a message during his on-field interview with ESPN after the victory vs. Florida State in Dublin, Ireland: 

"Run the ball!" 

Running the ball isn't a new concept to Georgia Tech fans that grew up watching Paul Johnson-coached triple option teams. But Key's approach is a whole new world. 

The Yellow Jackets no longer lean on misdirection and presnap movement to get the ground game going. They're just as happy to plunge the ball right through the middle of an opposing defensive line, sprinkling in the occasional read option look to allow their mobile quarterbacks to get some action. 

This new approach to a time-honored Georgia Tech tradition underscores Key's emphasis on physicality. A former offensive lineman at Georgia Tech and longtime offensive line coach, Key understands that the game is won -- and lost -- in the trenches. 

If the victory vs. Florida State is any indication, the Jackets are building things the right way. The Seminoles entered Week 0 with a perceived advantage on both lines of scrimmage. Some thought of FSU's defensive line as the best in the country, while its offensive line returned three starters, two of which were preseason first-team All-ACC selections. 

That vaunted defensive line didn't have a single sack, and produced a half-tackle for loss. 

Georgia Tech's defense had seven tackles for loss, two of which came from defensive linemen, and a sack courtesy of edge rusher Kevin Harris.

Offensively, Tech averaged 5.3 yards per carry vs. Florida State's 3.2 as its offensive line paved plenty of running lanes. A whopping 58 of Florida State's 98 net yards rushing came on its opening drive. It didn't take long for Georgia Tech to completely flip the narrative. 

Finding the right quarterback 

Haynes King was meant to be the next big thing when he signed with Texas A&M. 

An in-state, four-star recruit playing in and winning state championships at the highest alignment of Texas high school football. Representing the Aggies at the Elite 11 Finals and the Under Armour All-American Game, alongside the nation's most prolific prospects. 

And for a moment, it looked like he would live up to the lofty expectations placed upon him. He won Texas A&M's starting job in 2021 as a redshirt freshman. Then a fractured leg cut his year short after one full game. 

He returned to the top of the depth chart in 2022 but was benched in favor of Max Johnson after a Week 2 loss to Appalachian State. He'd get a chance to start again when Johnson dealt with injury issues of his own. Then he hurt his shoulder, and freshman Conner Weigman took the job that he still holds to this day. 

King, who was reluctant to transfer in the first place, saw the writing on the wall and entered the portal. There, he chose to play for a Georgia Tech team entering its first full year under Key. 

King found his perfect match. He embraced Georgia Tech's physicality and used his 6-foot-3 frame to plow for 737 yards and 10 touchdowns rushing while starting all 13 games in 2023. He also threw for 2,842 yards and 27 touchdowns, becoming one of just two power conference quarterbacks with at least 2,800 yards passing and 700 yards rushing. 

The other? LSU starter and Heisman Trophy winner Jayden Daniels. 

He capped that breakout 2023 season with a triumph against UCF in the Gasparilla Bowl, Georgia Tech's first postseason win since 2016. With the win against Florida State in the rearview mirror, King has now led Georgia Tech to victory against three AP-ranked teams. 

Yellow Jackets winning on recruiting trail 

Key's success thus far isn't limited to the field. He's parlayed Georgia Tech's resurgence into some real gains on the recruiting trail. 

The Yellow Jackets signed the nation's No. 33 recruiting class in 2024, per the 247Sports Team Composite rankings, their highest finish since 2020. The 2025 class, ranked no. 19 in the nation, is already blowing that out of the water. 

Georgia Tech beat the likes of Florida State, Ohio State and Tennessee to land five-star offensive lineman Josh Petty. The Roswell, Georgia, product is the first five star to commit to the Jackets in the modern recruiting era, and he's also the crown jewel in a stellar in-state recruiting haul for Georgia Tech. 

Monday morning, two days after beating Florida State, four-star in-state defensive lineman Christian Garrett joined the fold. Garrett plays right down the road from Georgia's campus at Prince Avenue Christian School and is a former Bulldogs commit. 

All seven of Georgia Tech's highest-rated commits, and 11 of its top 12, play high school football in the state of Georgia. Four of them hold at least a four-star grade. 

With a couple spots still open, Georgia Tech is closing in on its first top-25 recruiting class since 2007. Sustained performances against teams like Florida State can take it even higher.