An article was posted in The Athletic this morning about which schools recruit Atlanta the best. They talked to several anonymous Georgia HS coaches and got their responses to various questions. I wanted to post an excerpt specifically from the section about Brent Key since it contains some encouraging opinions (and an attack towards Collins), but mods feel free to remove the post if it violates site rules.
What changes have you seen from Georgia Tech since Brent Key took over?
Coach 1: Their communication is off the charts. We have good relationships on their staff. They’ve hired a lot of people with high school connections here. I know their coach got a helicopter this year and was doing the same thing Kirby (Smart) was. That goes a long way with the kids.
Coach 4: He seems like a really, really good, locked-in, hard-nosed type of coach. From a couple times I’ve met him, he’s been really, really polite and welcoming, and I think he’ll probably do as well as you can do there.
Coach 5: Very aggressive in the high schools. He’s done an outstanding job of hiring at least three retired high school guys in their department to be able to say, “What do the high school coaches look for?” They’ve done a great job of getting in touch with that. They communicate well.
There’s nothing more frustrating as a high school coach than hearing your kid has an offer and you haven’t heard one time from a coach at that school. I’m always like, “Are you freakin’ kidding me? You’re about to offer a quarter- to a half-million dollar scholarship to a kid and you haven’t found out if he’s a green light in terms of character, how he is in the weight room, what kind of teammate he is, all those things?”
Coach 6: More communication for sure. More of a welcoming vibe, more of an open door. More of a genuine vibe. A lot of these guys come in like used car salesmen and treat you like you’re the most special coach in the world, introduce themselves, say what’s up and all that, and you see them a week later, and they don’t even know your name. Brent Key and his staff are the complete opposite, as genuine and welcoming as can be. They take the time to get to know you, your program and make you feel at home.
We (once) went to a 7-on-7 at Georgia Tech, and our quarterback at the time was committed to (a rival school), and (a former coach) went up to him before a game and said, “Looking forward to you running around out there. Can’t wait to see how many interceptions you have (on defense).” The kid was like, “Coach, I’m a quarterback.”
That just blew my mind. We had a loaded team and had a quarterback with an offer from Georgia Tech that is not far down the road and committed to (a rival program), and you don’t even know who he is or what position he plays. That explains everything.
Coach 7: Georgia Tech has done a pretty good job even with (former coach) Geoff Collins. They’ve done a good job of being there even if I disagreed with their evaluations. They did a good job of being present, and they’ve done a better job since Key has taken over of making sure they’re present at the main schools in Georgia.
Coach 8: I just think the focus is on wanting to recruit Georgia kids, and they put a premium on our opinions on kids, and they truly listen, give good evaluations and follow up. They’re consistently involved in what the high school coaches have going on. Every week I’ll get a call or text from them about recruiting, players they’ve recruited from me, etc.
Coach 9: I think it’s just a genuine connection to the high school coaches. A lot of guys come and get in and get out because they think, “I’m not getting these kids anyways,” but Georgia Tech is like, “We don’t care who we’re competing against, we’re gonna win.” They have everything you’d need to compete, and they’re starting to manage it the right way. They’re going after top-notch kids and doing it with a passion, and I think they’ll get some difference-makers in the next few years.
What changes have you seen from Georgia Tech since Brent Key took over?
Coach 1: Their communication is off the charts. We have good relationships on their staff. They’ve hired a lot of people with high school connections here. I know their coach got a helicopter this year and was doing the same thing Kirby (Smart) was. That goes a long way with the kids.
Coach 4: He seems like a really, really good, locked-in, hard-nosed type of coach. From a couple times I’ve met him, he’s been really, really polite and welcoming, and I think he’ll probably do as well as you can do there.
Coach 5: Very aggressive in the high schools. He’s done an outstanding job of hiring at least three retired high school guys in their department to be able to say, “What do the high school coaches look for?” They’ve done a great job of getting in touch with that. They communicate well.
There’s nothing more frustrating as a high school coach than hearing your kid has an offer and you haven’t heard one time from a coach at that school. I’m always like, “Are you freakin’ kidding me? You’re about to offer a quarter- to a half-million dollar scholarship to a kid and you haven’t found out if he’s a green light in terms of character, how he is in the weight room, what kind of teammate he is, all those things?”
Coach 6: More communication for sure. More of a welcoming vibe, more of an open door. More of a genuine vibe. A lot of these guys come in like used car salesmen and treat you like you’re the most special coach in the world, introduce themselves, say what’s up and all that, and you see them a week later, and they don’t even know your name. Brent Key and his staff are the complete opposite, as genuine and welcoming as can be. They take the time to get to know you, your program and make you feel at home.
We (once) went to a 7-on-7 at Georgia Tech, and our quarterback at the time was committed to (a rival school), and (a former coach) went up to him before a game and said, “Looking forward to you running around out there. Can’t wait to see how many interceptions you have (on defense).” The kid was like, “Coach, I’m a quarterback.”
That just blew my mind. We had a loaded team and had a quarterback with an offer from Georgia Tech that is not far down the road and committed to (a rival program), and you don’t even know who he is or what position he plays. That explains everything.
Coach 7: Georgia Tech has done a pretty good job even with (former coach) Geoff Collins. They’ve done a good job of being there even if I disagreed with their evaluations. They did a good job of being present, and they’ve done a better job since Key has taken over of making sure they’re present at the main schools in Georgia.
Coach 8: I just think the focus is on wanting to recruit Georgia kids, and they put a premium on our opinions on kids, and they truly listen, give good evaluations and follow up. They’re consistently involved in what the high school coaches have going on. Every week I’ll get a call or text from them about recruiting, players they’ve recruited from me, etc.
Coach 9: I think it’s just a genuine connection to the high school coaches. A lot of guys come and get in and get out because they think, “I’m not getting these kids anyways,” but Georgia Tech is like, “We don’t care who we’re competing against, we’re gonna win.” They have everything you’d need to compete, and they’re starting to manage it the right way. They’re going after top-notch kids and doing it with a passion, and I think they’ll get some difference-makers in the next few years.
