Georgia Tech Confident in Ability to Improve on Success

© Jim Dedmon-USA TODAY Sports

The Atlantic Coast Conference Media Day kicked off today and the Georgia Tech Yellow Jackets opened the show with flare and class. Second-year coach Brent Key was accompanied by defensive tackle Zeek Biggers, running back Jamal Haynes and quarterback Haynes King. The ramblin’ wreck drove home the point today and fans should be just as confident as the team for the upcoming season.

Coach Key’s Points

Key praised everyone involved with the Georgia Tech program and its growth, even honoring the late Dr. Homer Rice, the athletic director for the Yellow Jackets from 1980-1997.  He touched on league expansion and welcomed the new schools by name while acknowledging them for their academic and athletic integrity. 

Key, a former player and now coach for Georgia Tech, spoke about his 30 years of involvement with the ACC.

“It gave me the opportunity to be challenged, not only on the football field but also challenged academically," Key said. "It challenged me to grow. I learned lessons about discipline, you learn lessons of how to be mentally tough."

Key also addressed the narrative that ACC football is not as tough or prioritized as the other power conference, and Key did not shy away from challenging the ACC as a whole to change that narrative.

Player’s Confidence

King, a junior QB, spoke about the team locker room and continuity. He said he believes the team is in a great position and the team culture is strong enough to carry them through any adversities during the season.

One adversity Georgia Tech plans to avoid is losing to the Georgia Bulldogs as Biggers, a senior, emphasized the importance of beating them annually. However, it was Haynes who broke the ice with a turn from the proverbial “football” talk when asked about running the ball or passing the ball in a critical situation.

Improving on Success

The Yellow Jackets are looking to improve on their successes from last season finishing 7-6 with a bowl win against the Central Florida Knights. If they play as well as they dressed and spoke during the first day of the ACC Media Days in Charlotte, N.C., then Key and Georgia Tech could be playing for an ACC title and with the new system, maybe a College Football Playoff birth.