Georgia Tech continues to use spring as evaluation for roster development

“The most important portal is out there on that football field right now. That’s the most important portal that’s there, are the guys on our football team. And I want everybody to understand that. The current Georgia Tech football team are the most important,” Key said Saturday. “Now there’s some people that feel they might not have the opportunity to play here as quickly. Or maybe it’s a senior and they want to (play elsewhere). Look, I understand that, and that’s why they created (the portal). And I’m more than willing to help those guys and talk through it. But you have to be open and honest about it.

“We all know there’s cuts that have to be made. But just because there’s cuts that have be made, there’s the (wide receiver) Chris Elko’s of the world that get put on scholarship (Friday), too, now.”

Key watched his team scrimmage Saturday at Bobby Dodd Stadium, its second scrimmage of the spring practice season. After the first such scrimmage March 29, running back Anthony Carrie told Rivals and On3 he plans to enter the NCAA’s transfer portal which is open from April 16-25.

The 6-foot, 195-pound Carrie, a sophomore, played seven games in 2024 for Tech and rushed for 120 yards as a part of a running back group decimated by injuries. But this spring, Carrie found himself competing for touches with Jamal Haynes, Daylon Gordon, Trelain Maddox, Pennsylvania transfer Malachi Hosley and true freshman J.P. Powell.

Carrie likely won’t be the last current Jacket to decide to leave the program after spring practice concludes.

“Look, there’s guys that are gonna leave and you can’t control their thoughts. You can’t control their mind. I learned that over the last two years,” Key said last week on 680 The Fan. “We gotta do our best and put everything we have into these kids the way we know is right in order to build a championship football team. You can’t control some of the things you can’t control.”

Tech has three practices next week before the Jackets trot onto the field at Bobby Dodd Stadium for the program’s annual spring game next Saturday. That showcase will be a small window into which players have made strides toward competing for a spot on the fall depth chart and which ones who have work to do.

The latter group won’t be coddled, according to Key.

“Our job is to coach and tweak and develop, it’s not to blow sunshine up the crack of their (butt),” Key added. “It’s to tell them what they’re doing correctly, teach them how to do it right. The expectation is to do it correctly, our job as coaches and teachers is to get them to do the hard things that they don’t always necessarily always want to do and to do it consistently.”