Brent Key says no decisions made on Georgia Tech football staff changes
Brent Key isn’t ready to say whether Jason Semore will remain Georgia Tech’s defensive coordinator.
Key said Tuesday he has spent several weeks evaluating his program but has made no formal decisions about potential staff changes, including Semore’s future.
Tech is 2-6, including four double-digit losses, with four regular-season games remaining.
“I’m not going to tell you one way or the other, if I’m going to tomorrow or if I did yesterday,” Key said. “The easy thing is to do things in the moment. The hard thing is to make the right decisions. And I will make sure they are prepared in a timely manner and at the right times.”
Key said he understands the urgency surrounding those decisions, particularly with the early signing period and transfer portal approaching. But he emphasized that he won’t make changes simply in reaction to the Yellow Jackets’ disappointing season.
“I’m going to do what’s best for the team,” Key said. “I have spent the majority of the last several weeks evaluating everything, every Sunday I will.”
The evaluation comes amid a season in which Tech has struggled, particularly against the run. The Jackets rank 134th among 138 FBS teams, allowing an average of 219 rushing yards per game.
Semore, a former Tech linebackers coach, was hired to run the defense in January after previously serving as defensive coordinator at Southern Miss and Marshall.
Tech’s defensive struggles have also come amid personnel challenges.
The Jackets added several transfers, including defensive ends Noah Carter from Alabama and Jordan Walker from Rutgers. Walker has missed most of the season because of an ankle injury. Carter, who has a team-high three sacks in only four games, is no longer with the program for an undisclosed reason.
Senior linebacker and captain Kyle Efford medically retired from football earlier this season.
Entering last week’s 34-11 loss at Pitt, Tech had at least 15 players sidelined in each of its first four ACC games. Injuries accounted for 66 player-games lost during that stretch.
Key has acknowledged the impact of those injuries, saying much of the planning done during the offseason and August, particularly on defense, had to be scrapped because of attrition. But he also has been adamant that injuries cannot be used as an excuse.
“The first-year walk-on at the position is coached the same way that a four-year starter is,” Key said. “That’s the expectation. You coach them the same.”
Offensive coordinator George Godsey, who also joined Key’s staff in January, has overseen an offense that has struggled to produce consistently, particularly in the running game, where the Jackets rank 114th nationally.
Last season, when they finished 9-4 and Key received a contract extension, they ranked 21st nationally and averaged nearly 200 rushing yards per game.
Key said his evaluation goes beyond statistics. He is measuring the team against what he considers the identity of Tech football.
“It’s not about the stats. It’s about what we look like. What it looks like on the field,” Key said. “There’s a certain product that Georgia Tech football is. That’s been that way for a lot of years. I know that product. I know what it is, and it is a tough, physical, disciplined football team that doesn’t beat itself.”
Key said the program itself isn’t broken. But he acknowledged that its current performance is far below the standard he has described. The Jackets must win each of their final four games to avoid their first losing season since 2022, when Geoff Collins was fired and Key took over.
“I do not by any means think the program is broke,” Key said. “The program is not functioning worth a damn right now on the field. That’s on me to make the necessary adjustments, tweaks, changes, whatever it is for it to improve and play to the level and standards.”
Key said the timing of any staff decisions is separate from the evaluation itself. With recruiting and roster-building deadlines approaching, he said he understands the importance of planning for the future while continuing to prepare the current team.
“Timing and the ultimate decision are two totally different things,” Key said. “I’ve made no formal decision on anything, but it doesn’t mean I don’t understand the gravity of, you know, signing day, portal times and all those things. Believe me, I do.”