Not many head coaches did a better job than Brent Key did in year one. While he did not get the publicity of some other first year head coaches, Key was able to guide Georgia Tech to its first bowl game since 2018 and first bowl game win since 2016. He led a huge turnaround for a program that had been struggling and he is hoping to build upon those successes in year two.
In an article about second-year coaches, CBS Sports College Football Analyst Chip Patterson wrote that Key is a second year head coach looking to make a jump in 2024:
"While Key certainly had a head start on his "Year 1" thanks to an eight-game run as the interim coach in 2022, we're counting last year's season as his debut. It was a season with mixed results, highlighted by two wins against ranked teams but also including a home loss to Bowling Green and a season-long set of defensive shortcomings that left the Yellow Jackets last in the ACC in total defense. More consistency throughout the season, and even within games, is the next step to making a jump, and it's what Key is hoping to lead in 2024."
While the schedule is a nightmare, I think that Key and Georgia Tech can continue to show progress in 2024. The offense is returning the majority of its starters from one of the best units in the ACC and Key overhauled the defensive staff, as well as bring in new talent through the transfer portal. Georgia Tech has the ability to be a dark horse contender in the ACC if they improve on defense and navigate a difficult schedule.
When it comes to sleeper teams in the ACC, a lot of the conversation surrounds Virginia Tech, NC State, SMU, and Louisville. You don't often hear Georgia Tech's name mentioned in that discussion and a lot of that might be due to the Yellow Jackets having a schedule that includes games against Florida State, Louisville, Notre Dame, Virginia Tech, Miami, NC State, and Georgia on it. For a team that returns the bulk of one of the best offenses in the conference, their win total is only at 5.5 to start the season.
I have written before that I think Georgia Tech is one of the nation's most underrated teams going into the 2024 college football season, not to mention as a sleeper in the ACC as well. On an episode of the Late Kick With Josh Pate, he discussed if Georgia Tech should be a sleeper team while also calling them a rapidly improving program:
"What if Georgia Tech is actually the sleeper team in the ACC? Their over/under win total is 5.5. You might hear that and say, that is not even bowl eligible, why are you talking about them as a sleeper? Remember, not only are you not what your record says you are in college football, you're not always what your win total says you are either, in the preseason, because some of us play really difficult schedules. Georgia Tech plays Florida State this year in Ireland, they play Notre Dame, they go to Louisville, they go to Virginia Tech, they play Miami, they play NC State and they go to Georgia. What would your over/under win total be if you had that schedule? So they have a low over/under win total and it is juiced to the under, so it will probably go down to 4.5. I don't care because I think they are a rapidly improving program. Brent Key and the guys last year had their first winning season in five years and they had close losses to Georgia, Louisville, the Ole Miss game was close in the 4th quarter and then Ole Miss pulled away."
This is not the first time this offseason that Georgia Tech has gotten praise from Pate, one of the leading voices in college football.
On anepisodeof the Late Kick, Pate called the Yellow Jackets one of the nation's most underrated teams going into the year:
"Georgia Tech I could also call a little bit underrated. The difference with Georgia Tech is the schedule is pretty stiff, I am not going to lie and they have Georgia every year. They were 7-5 last year and their win total is at 5.5, I think due in large part to how tough it is. Haynes King is still there, that is their quarterback, their offense is top ten in returning production this year, a deep wide receiver room. The defense was bad last year, 123rd in yards allowed last year I believe, but they overhauled their defensive staff, they overhauled their roster on the defensive side. They are the inverse of Nebraska in the sense that if I get C+ or B- defensive play, that should be good to get over 5.5 wins"
Georgia Tech is by no means a perfect team, but the progress they have made under Key and the amount of talent they return this season are not getting talked about nearly enough. It might not take long for the Yellow Jackets to make their presence felt this season. They have a nationally televised game on ESPN against Florida State in week zero and the entire country will be watching. It could be an opportunity to show why they are one of the nation's most underrated teams going into 2024.
