The Modern Blend Of Team Building And Coaching Suits Brent Key Just Fine
Georgia Tech coach Brent Key took a different route at Tuesday's press conference to answer a query about the current state of affairs in college football in the USA. Asked about his take on the current circumstance of having to reconsttuct a roster each year, Key took a drive down "history lane". He first mentioned the signature moments of ages past, with the addition of face masks and the evolution of the sport to eliminate the possibility of split nstional champions. He cited these moments to make his larger point.
"There are cycles every 20-25 years in college football. Things change" , said Key.
The impetus to the question is the effect of significant changes among anticipated starters when Tech kicks off vs. Colorado next week. Among the projected starting 22 players, 11 of them are players who were not at Georgia Tech one year ago. Add in a new punter and long snapper too.
That's a hefty amount of turnover, especially in the game of football, which some consider to be the ultimate team sport. Some coaches might call that a burden. Not Brent Key. In fact, says Tech's head man," That's the mental part of being a head coach that I really, really enjoy".
He further explained that the current system has ",., allowed Georgia Tech to be in the position we're in now". Meaning that Tech coaches can pursue possible incoming transfers with respect to their character and their academic ambition, in addition to their football skills. In short, the question becomes whether or not they are a good fit for the school and the city, as well as the staff and teammates.
Key did not specifically mention it, but a side benefit is lesser dependence on incoming freshmen. Players fresh from high school who are truly ready to compete effectively in college are not rare, but ideally they should not be routinely relied upon to patch holes in a given lineup. Accordingly, the absence of true freshman starters is often more a statement about quality depth among upperclassmen rather than a measure of high school recruiting success.
Key went on to point out that his tenure as a head coach is relatively brief, so his entire head coaching career has been within the current mode, to include transfer portals and NIL money. It's all he has known as a head coach. He said as much on Tuesday.
" All I know is building the roster, roster management, transfer portal, acquisitions, retention, and the balance of high school vs free agents. That's all I really know.", said Key.
That said, it is certainly fortunate for the overall health of the program on North Avenue that the head man sees the current scenario as an enjoyable challenge. His ability to excel at that challenge will come to light quite soon, especially along the rebuilt offensive and defensive lines.
The old praise heaped on Bear Bryant was that " he could take his'n and beat yourn, and take yourn and beat his'n." That phrasing came well before the time in college football where some other school can literally " take yourn". It's anybody guess how the great coaches of yesteryear would fare in today's version of college football.
What we do know is that Tech fans will see and hear of lots of new players, each one of whom joined the Yellow Jackets for a specific role and purpose. Tech's coaches' role--which they not only embrace but enjoy--is to mold those new players into a high-functioning unit. Key is confident in the process.
Patrick Conarro
RamblinSports.com