Georgia Tech’s Brent Key gets ‘significant’ raise, contract extension
Georgia Tech football coach Brent Key has agreed to a new contract, Tech announced Wednesday.
“I’m grateful to President (Ángel) Cabrera, (athletic director) Ryan Alpert, (executive deputy athletic director) Brent Jones and the GTAA Board of Trustees for their continued belief and investment in Georgia Tech football,” Key said in a release. “There is no other place or opportunity out there like Georgia Tech.
“Our goal is to build a championship program. I’m proud of the steps that we’ve taken toward reaching that goal, but I’m not satisfied. Building a championship program is not possible without everyone being aligned. To our fans and students — everything that you do for our program matters and is appreciated. You’ve made Bobby Dodd Stadium one of the biggest home-field advantages in all of college football. We need everyone to be all in to get where we want to go. Together, we’ll achieve great things. Go Jackets!”
The terms of the contract extend Key’s position with Tech until 2030. ESPN’s Pete Thamel reported Wednesday the contract will give Key a “significant” raise. Ross Dellenger of Yahoo Sports reported Wednesday the new contract is, “worth an average of $6.5 million annually.”
Key, 47, signed a contract extension (through 2029) a year ago that pays him $4.5 million in total compensation, a figure which put him among the bottom half the ACC coaches. He is tied for 52nd nationally among reported FBS head coaches salaries, according to the USA Today database.
A former Tech offensive lineman, Key took over Tech on an interim basis in 2022 and was hired to lead the program in November of that year. He led Tech to back-to-back 7-6 seasons, a Gasparilla Bowl win in 2023 and seven wins in eight tries against ranked ACC teams.
“Coach Key has brought our storied football program back to where it belongs,” Cabrera said in a release. “He has delivered three straight winning seasons and bowl appearances, reinvigorated the passion of our fan base, and given us moments we will not easily forget. The Yellow Jacket pride and energy he brings — fueled by his deep love for Georgia Tech — inspire our entire community. I am delighted that athletics director Ryan Alpert is continuing to elevate Georgia Tech athletics, securing resources and investing further in coach Key and our football program, and I am excited about the bright future ahead of us.”
Added Alpert via the release: “We’re excited to announce that Brent Key will remain right here where he belongs — on The Flats,” Alpert said. “It became apparent to me very quickly after my arrival at Georgia Tech this past summer that coach Key is the right person to lead our football program, not only because of the great success that his team has achieved on the field, but because of the culture of leadership, togetherness and toughness that he’s built in the locker room and throughout the program. I’m grateful for the relationship that we have and I’m looking forward to continuing to work together to build a program that will consistently compete for championships at the highest levels of college football.”
Key, 27-19 overall and 20-11 in ACC games, reached 25 wins in the fifth fewest games among coaches in Tech history: William Alexander did so in 28 games, Bobby Dodd in 34, John Heisman in 36 and Paul Johnson in 39.
Tech went 9-3 this year and peaked in the AP rankings at No. 7. It came it at No. 22 on Tuesday in the latest College Football Playoff rankings and is awaiting its bowl matchup and destination which will be announced Sunday.
“It’s flattering, but not for me, it’s for this program,” Key said in November about his name being mentioned for coaching openings. “Since I came back here, since I was named the head coach here, outside of the time with my family, every waking second of my life has gone to building this program to get to the point that it is right now so that in turn we can continue three years from now, five years now, 10 years from now, continue to elevate this place, to be in that conversation. Not to be in there for two or three weeks, but to be a consistent team.
“Not when you lose one game people say, ‘Oh, the storybook’s over.’ Nah, it’s just beginning. I could go on and on, say, ‘Yes, no, maybe,’ all that crap. Slice me open and see what colors I bleed.”
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