Georgia Tech coach Brent Key has been reported as a candidate for the Penn State job, but should he be a big part of the search?
The coaching carousel is at a fever pitch and Penn State is well in the middle of it with its coaching search well underway.
Less than a year removed from a College Football Playoff Semifinal run, Penn State is in a tailor made position to have success with their coaching hire.
Let’s take a look at some of the candidates and why it makes sense or doesn’t for both the candidate and the program:
Brent Key – Georgia Tech
Pros for Penn State
- Key is a hot name and one of the top names on any candidate search and for good reason. His success at Georgia Tech since 2022 cannot be understated as he’s gone 26-16 since being named interim head coach and then head coach.
- Key is a player’s coach and is beloved by his players much like James Franklin. He’s a fiery guy on the sidelines and isn’t afraid to speak his mind.
- Key currently coaches at an adidas school and they take over the apparel deal in July of 2026.
Cons for Penn State
- While Key is atop many lists, he’s a Georgia Tech guy and that’s where he met his wife. Family is huge for Key, but as many husbands can attest, his wife would probably enjoy getting a significant raise.
- Key is still very unproven outside of Georgia Tech and having only been a head coach since 2022.
- Key can’t bring his quarterback with him in Haynes King. King is an absolute machine and the type of player Penn State would love to have, but he’s been in school six years and is off to the league after this season.
Pros for Key
- This is the ultimate prove yourself moment for Key. He’s a lifer at Georgia Tech and winning outside of your comfort zone and place you’re familiar with would be ideal for his brand.
- The Big Ten is far and away better than the ACC and it would showcase his coaching and recruiting acumen to come in and immediately have success at Penn State.
- The job would provide a significant raise and money for resources such as coaching staff, recruiting and budget for his program. Money certainly talks and would make it easier to step away from your alma mater.
Cons for Key
- Georgia Tech is home and is where he met his wife and it’s where they’re raising their daughter. Leaving a place with such a profound impact on your family is undoubtedly hard and enough to thwart any money offered to him.
- It is far easier to win regularly in the ACC than the Big Ten. As joining the Big Ten would be a chance to showcase his talents as a coach, staying put allows him to develop Georgia Tech into a perennial power in the ACC as no one program has a stranglehold on dominating the conference.
- Expectations are national championship or bust. Two losses and the hot seat will get hot in Happy Valley, but two losses with the Yellow Jackets and it’s a far different situation in a good way for him.
Key will be highly sought after, but him leaving Georgia Tech might be a bad idea. Maybe that changes because King will be gone, however, it’s far more likely he stays and finishes what he started with a fresh extension in his back pocket.
