Georgia Tech coach Brent Key is hiring Cory Peoples to his defensive coaching staff, according to a person with knowledge of the situation.

Peoples will join Key’s staff to coach the safeties. He’s the fourth addition to Key’s staff this offseason, joining defensive coordinator Tyler Santucci, defensive line coach Jess Simpson and outside linebackers coach Kyle Pope.

Peoples recently completed his fourth season with the Panthers as the program’s secondary coach and defensive passing-game coordinator. He previously coached cornerbacks at Georgia Southern in 2018, was the Albany State defensive coordinator in 2017 and was defensive backs coach at South Carolina State in 2016.

Peoples also has made college coaching stops at Charleston Southern, St. Augustine’s, Clark Atlanta and Georgia Military College.

A native of Bishopville, South Carolina, Peoples was an all-state quarterback and defensive back at Bishopville High School before he attended Georgia Military College, where his team won the NJCAA national championship in 2001. He then played two seasons in the secondary at South Carolina and spent two years on the Philadelphia Eagles’ roster and played in NFL Europe and the Canadian Football League.

Peoples takes the role held by Travares Tillman who was the Yellow Jackets’ defensive backs coach in 2023 before being moved into an off-field role in December.

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