Brent Key has “36″ names of candidates to be Georgia Tech’s next OC
On Sunday, Georgia Tech coach Brent Key said he has narrowed his list down to 36 people who he is considering hiring to be the Yellow Jackets’ next offensive coordinator.
Key also said he has made the decision of who will be the team’s primary offensive play caller in the Pop-Tarts Bowl on Dec. 27 when Tech faces Brigham Young, but he won’t make that decision public until he meets with the coaching staff Monday.
“I’m gonna take the time to get this thing right. If it takes two days or it takes two months, it doesn’t really matter to me,” Key said Sunday. “This is about the players and getting the right fit to be able to coach our players into a championship football team.”
Tech offensive coordinator Buster Faulkner left the program last week to reportedly take the same position at Florida. Faulkner had been with Tech since 2023.
Replacing the innovative Faulkner will arguably be one of the biggest decisions of Key’s tenure thus far.
“I’m gonna take my time on this. I think my list is about 36 right now, people that have intrigued me,” Key said. “The thing about this, too, when you go through this process and a lot of times when you talk to people it might not be the right time now but it might be into the future or a relationship that you’re able to build.
“I really enjoy this opportunity. I think it’s a great time to find out about people and people to find out about your program. But at the same time, this is a very important hire for us and I have to make sure I exhaust every possibility and every option to make sure we get it right.”
Key has also reportedly lost offensive line coach Geep Wade, who has taken a position on the staff at Nebraska. Thus, the Jackets will be short at least two full-time coaches in their 13th game.
Key will likely look to co-offensive coordinator Chris Weinke to assist with building Tech’s offensive game plan for the Pop-Tarts Bowl. Wide receivers coach Trent McKnight also has experience as an offensive coordinator.
In the meantime, Key will continue to narrow his list down to the one coach he thinks will be the best choice for Tech in 2026 and perhaps beyond.
“It’s been a great opportunity here the last couple days of really seeing what a place Georgia Tech is as compared to three years ago. The quality of people that are interested and reached out that want the job, it’s very humbling to see that part of it,” Key added. “The No. 1 quality though, they’ve got to fit in with the staff and the team. It has to be somebody that the team is going to respond to, that the team is going to listen to, respond to, play for and there’s got to be a high level of trust there.
“The vetting out of these guys is a very time-consuming process. Trust is such a huge thing to me. We have an identity that I want the hire to make sure that it fits into that identity. That doesn’t mean line up and do certain things a certain way, I want new ideas, I want fresh thoughts, I wanna put the players in position to have success on every play.”
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