CHARLOTTE, N.C. – In a way, Monday was an appetizer to the main course of the college football season. And Georgia Tech coach Brent Key was the premier dish served as he was the first coach to take the stage at the ACC Football Kickoff.
“Can’t tell you how awesome it is to come up here and be the first person to kick off the 2024 season,” Key said. “Really signifies the start of college football.”
Key and three of his Yellow Jackets – quarterback Haynes King, running back Jamal Haynes and defensive tackle Zeek Biggers – were open season to media members in attendance. A consistent theme for them all was the narrative pertaining to the excitement of the upcoming campaign.
That excitement seemed palpable from a team coming off a 7-6 season and bowl win with a second-year coach and an explosive offense which returns a bevy of important pieces.
“We’ve been talking about this since the bowl game in December,” King said. “I’ve been ready for a long time, ready to get back at it. Tired of just doing workouts, lifting, running. I’m ready to put the pads on and get right to it.”
King and his teammates officially report to campus Tuesday before starting practice Wednesday evening. Key, meanwhile, has spent the better part of the past 6+ months finding ways to improve his team through roster additions, coaching staff changes and continual cultural improvement.
The former Tech offensive lineman was asked if he sensed his current team was in a better place than when he took the ACC Football Kickoff stage a year ago?
“You build the culture of your football team January through July. You build your football team in the four weeks in August. It remains to be seen what type of football team we’re going to be,” Key said. “I know what type of locker room we have, what type of leaders we have. I’m excited to see where the team is going to be. We’re ready to get to work. The quicker we get down from here, (the quicker we) get out and report and get on that field and practice.”
Key and the three Jackets spent 30 minutes on the main ballroom stage fielding questions, then moved into a conference room to answer more questions. Haynes discussed his 2023 position switch from wide receiver to running back. Biggers commented on the number of new defensive coaches in the program and how Tech’s defense could be better. King discussed his personal play, leadership abilities and how Tech’s offense can be even better in 2024.
There was a good bit of discussion about 2023 as well, but the Jackets tried quickly to put those thoughts to bed. Season No. 2 of the Key regime, after all, is just days away.
“It absolutely does give us confidence, but that doesn’t matter,” Haynes said of Tech’s 7-6 season in ‘23. “What happened last season happened last season. This season everybody starts 0-0. This season we still got to put on our pads, there’s still gonna be 100 yards on the field and we still have to go out and accomplish what we want to accomplish. New season, new goals, new expectations.”
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