Brent Key spent the last few days in Dublin, Ireland. He did not, however, stop to take a break from recruiting.
“It’s kinda like shaving,” he said. “If you miss a day, it’s gonna show.”
Key joined the Off The Ball podcast as part of his tour of the Irish capital and spoke at length about his recruiting stratagem, efforts and practices during a 30-minute discussion. The second-year Tech coach spent three days in Dublin with Tech athletic director J Batt as part of the Yellow Jackets’ ongoing preparation for the 2024 season opener Aug. 24 against Florida State at Aviva Stadium.
On Saturday, Key was present for the Irish rugby team’s 31-7 win over Wales in the Six Nations Tournament. He joked he wished he could have some of Ireland’s finest rugby players join the Jackets for next season and beyond.
Instead, Key went on to say, his constant focus is on building Tech’s roster through high-level recruiting day in and day out.
“In order to be successful, it’s about the acquisition of talent and the retention of talent. That’s any business that you’re in,” Key said. “As the head coach you go from recruiting just one position or just one side of the football to now it’s every position on both sides of the football. The numbers go from recruiting 15, 20, 25 guys to now it’s 250 people that you’re recruiting and trying to make those calls every night and make those text messages and return the calls and texts.
“We landed (Friday) morning (in Ireland), and I had 14 texts or missed calls from recruits. You’re always doing it. You’re always working at it.”
In his first season as the program’s full-time coach, Key led the Jackets to a 7-6 record and win over Central Florida in the Gasparilla Bowl in December in Tampa, Florida. Tech’s program under Key appears to be on a steady incline after he took over on an interim basis four games into the 2022 season – the Jackets are 11-10 with Key at the helm and 9-6 in ACC games.
To improve that win-loss record Key has been relentless on the recruiting trail. Tech currently has the nation’s No. 33 overall recruiting class, according to the 247Sports Composite, up almost 30 spots from 2023′s signing class ranking.
Key said recruiting, in his opinion, is based first and foremost on relationships, making a connection and building trust within that relationship. He added it’s then about recruiting the individual prospect as a single entity, not part of a larger group.
“It’s taking what we have at Georgia Tech, or the places I’ve been in the past, and presenting that information and making it the best place for that individual,” said Key, a former Tech offensive lineman. “It’s not about talking about another school or bad about this team or this team, it’s about taking the information you have, presenting it to that person and tailor-making each individual recruit feel like they are recruited one in themselves, not in a group of 15, 20, 25 people.”
Tech has yet to pick up a commitment toward the 2025 recruiting class, but that doesn’t mean Key and his staff haven’t been crisscrossing the Southeast meeting with prospects and handing out scholarship offers. Key personally took a helicopter earlier this year to visit Georgia recruits in Peachtree City, Rabun Gap, Dacula, Ludowici, Savannah, Valdosta, Thomasville, Sonoraville, Gainesville and Covington, to name a few places.
Before taking a flight back to the States on Monday, Key visited the Gaelic Athletic Association and spoke with Gaelic football legend Ciarán Kilkenny. Then it was back to evaluating, scouting and recruiting. Key said he watched film of 12 prospects on the flight across the Atlantic to Ireland and planned to watch 13 more on the trip home.
It’s a part of the job he said he truly cherishes.
“I love it,” Key said. “In college athletics you select the people that come to your team. And you select 25 to 28 a year. Guys come in, they develop in your program, they graduate, they leave and you bring in new ones. To build that personal relationship with somebody before they come to college I think is a special part of college.”
