Key starts Pop-Tarts Bowl week with 680 The Fan interview

Georgia Tech and head coach Brent Key got on the plane and arrived in Orlando on Monday ahead of Saturday’s Pop-Tarts Bowl matchup vs. BYU at 3:30 p.m. at Camping World Stadium, but before that Key took some time to talk about the game and everything else leading up to it during an interview with 680 The Fan’s morning show, “The Locker Room.”

Here are some notes and quotes from what Key had to say about the bowl, his team’s preparation and a few other subjects during the interview with 680’s John Michaels and Sean Nerny:

What role Key plays in his household preparing for Christmas…

When asked about how much input on the decision-making and preparation for Christmas he has while also getting his team ready for a bowl matchup, Key had a simple response for his role.

“Facilitate,” Key said with a chuckle. “I mean whatever they want as long as we’re in position that Santa Claus is able to know where we’re at. I think the elf has been doing a great job with messages over the last two or three weeks with me working. My wife is an absolute saint above all saints. But the elf has been the huge help this year facilitating the transition with us being away so that Santa Claus knows where everyone is.”

In a follow-up question, Key was asked if his wife is the one in charge of the placement of the elf (on the shelf).

“Correct. Now, the elf…it will be late at night and I’ll hear something going on upstairs, and I’ll be like ‘what in the hell is going on?'” said Key. “And I go up there and there is like ice cream spilled out on the counter. This daggum elf now.”

What’s it like balancing Christmas and bowl prep this week…

Key was asked about the difficult schedule it is to make for his team to both practice and prepare for a bowl game right around Christmas while also balancing enjoying the holidays with their families a little bit if they are able.

“We practiced last week, and then I gave them off Friday afternoon and Saturday. We got back together yesterday as a full team…lifted, practiced, all those things. So we gave them some time to if they wanted to get away last Friday evening, Saturday if they wanted to be with some family. Once we get down there…we’ll get down there about 4 (p.m.) today, 4:30 ( p.m.) and do all the normal things. There is events tonight, and I’ll let the seniors determine what curfew is tonight, tomorrow night. We’ll be up bright and early, and whatever they decide what curfew is, we’ll make sure we’re up, making sure they’re nice and alert and ready to roll the next morning.”

“Christmas morning we’re going to let them sleep in a little bit, if they do have family down there,” added Key. “But the big reason is we have a lot of kids on our staff, and we’ve got to make sure there’s time for Santa Claus to get in and do what he has to do.”

When asked to clarify how much wiggle room he gives his seniors when they decide the team curfew time, Key said it takes him back to when he was a player.

“Yeah, that was me when I was a senior,” said Key. “And (George) O’Leary actually let us go with it, and he got it back out of us the next day. Holy cow, did he ever. Now, I brought our seniors together, I do this every year…let them do it. I kind of looked around…we’ve got 26 seniors. Ahmari (Harvey) said something, and I was like ‘let me rephrase this. I know there’s 26 of y’all. You guys have a lot of input on this. Uh, Haynes (King), you make the decision.’ Nah, they’ll make the right choice. They’re good kids. But look, I want them to have fun. I want them to enjoy this experience. I mean what’s the point of going to a bowl game if you’re not going to be able to enjoy it and get something out of it from a bonding standpoint, relationship standpoint. This is the last time the 2025 Georgia Tech Football team’s going to be together. I mean we’re counting down, we’re less than a week now, single-digit days. So I want them to enjoy the heck out of this.”

Key on the non-CFP bowls still having importance…

When asked about what it should be about for players and teams that don’t make the College Football Playoff this day in age, Key said the other bowls should still mean something.

“I’d like to think that the game we’re going to play on Saturday is going to be better than a lot of the games I witnessed the past three days,” said Key. “So I think it’s a really good matchup. It’s a chance for two teams that are built very similar to have a chance to compete. Seniors play their last game before moving on, some of them to the NFL, some of them other stages of their life. I mean these things are important because they’re a reward, right? I get it. You’re not playing for the end-all championship, which is everyone’s goal. And believe me, I watch those games and just get sick to my stomach with how we dropped the ball with some of those things. But at the end of the year, this is a reward.”

“And I’m to the point now, guys, I don’t if they should or shouldn’t even count this as part of the record of the team as opposed to just having it as a non-recorded win-loss game,” added Key. “Look, everybody’s still going to compete, but the rosters aren’t the same. The rosters aren’t the same as they were during the season, during the ’25 season. So it’s an experience these guys will be able to go and enjoy themselves, have fun, and look, competitors love to compete. I don’t care when it is, what it is, what bowl game it is, what city it’s in…competitors love to compete, and I’ve got a team full of competitors.”

Key on what Ahmari Harvey and Keylan Rutledge mean to the team…

It was announced recently that Tech’s Ahmari Harvey and Keylan Rutledge will both play in postseason showcase games, joining Haynes King and other seniors who will get a chance to showcase their skills. Key as asked about what those guys have meant to him and the program.

“We’re fortunate to have a lot of guys reeling off the all-star game invites right now…a chance for them to continue to show themselves to the people at the next level,” said Key. “These guys have meant a ton. And the cool thing about it is, knock on wood I guess you’d say, but these guys are all going down to compete. Ahmari Harvey, this kid dislocated his ankle vs. Virginia Tech. I mean you see guys out months and months with that thing, and Ahmari Harvey was back in just under four weeks or five weeks I think it was, playing, competing in games, playing the full game. It’s so awesome to see these guys enjoy every moment of just getting to be out on the field competing and not getting caught up in a lot of things that others do nowadays.”

Key on BYU and their case for possibly being a CFP team and what kind of motivation and challenge that gives his team…

“I don’t disagree. I don’t disagree with them. They have a very valid argument (to be in the playoff),” said Key before 680’s John Michaels could even get the full question out about BYU’s quality of resume.

Michaels then asked if that gives his team any more focus or incentive by knowing how good of team they will be matching up against.

“I was going to talk about it yesterday with the team, but I chose to I’m going to do it today. Yeah, I fully agree that BYU should have been in the playoffs when you watch the competitive matchups that took place this past weekend,” said Key. “But at the same time I’m looking at myself saying we shouldn’t have stubbed our toe at the end of the season. We should be in there. And if you really feel that way then we need to get our asses together and play our butts off and play a very competitive game vs. a good football team. Because you’re dang right BYU should’ve been in those game. Those games were some bad games this past weekend, guys.”

“Really good players. Kalani (Sitake) is a heck of a coach,” added Key on BYU. “He takes a ton of pride in what he’s doing at his alma mater. You look at it on paper just stat to stat or however you want to look at it, this is a very evenly-matched game and should be a very competitive football game between two very good football teams.”

Key on what the Pop-Tart Bowl “Swag Bag” looks like for the players and his preferences…

“I’m sure it’s the watches and sunglasses,” said Key. “I was big on the strawberry. I was on a strawberry kick as of late with the Pop-Tarts, but Kalani has opened my eyes to some different flavors. He’s a full spectrum of flavor guy. So just to get maybe some new Pop-Tarts, something different…I mean they’re like candy now. It’s such a treat.”

Key talks about the impact Haynes King has had on helping him build up the program the last three years…

Key got another chance to talk about what his quarterback King has meant to the Jackets’ success now and building for the future and had some high praise once again.

“There is so many guys that have been a part of this build. It just so happens that with all the good and with all the bad, the quarterback and the head coach, they’re the ones that have their name in front of everybody,” said Key. “So rightfully so he deserves the credit that he’s getting. The greatest legacy that a senior can leave, the greatest gift that a senior can leave is what they’ve done, the work they’ve put in to be in that locker room not to change…the people in that locker room to carry that message forward, to pay it forward. That’s going to be the big challenge for the guys returning next year is continuing that message that Haynes…people talk about Haynes, but I can go on and on with these guys…the Daylon Gordon‘s, the Jason Moore‘s, someone like DJ Moore who has been here, Kyle’s still a junior, Kyle Efford. These guys that have been here for the whole time…Rodney Shelley, Ahmari Harvey. I mean these guys have been here through really taking us from football purgatory if you want to say it into a position to be a competitive team, week in and week out.”

Key with a calming word for Georgia Tech fans…

Sean Nerny, who acknowledged that he is a lifelong Georgia Tech fan, asked Key for reassurance that with all the stuff going on the last few weeks, that he could put Tech fans’ nerves to rest and let them know it’s going to be okay.

“Everything’s going to be alright now. Everything’s going to be all right,” Key said while singing. “I can’t sing worth a crap, but I can tell you that everything’s going to be alright. I wish I could put that song on right now. But that’s what makes football great. That’s what makes college athletics great is that fan is short for fanatic, and they’re fanatical about the success that their programs have. And the fact that we have fans that are fanatical now about everything we do…I walked out of my office last week and there were notes all over my truck from students about ‘hire this person, don’t hire this person.’ That ain’t happened here in a long time, if ever.”

“We have an awesome group of students and fans,” added Key. “I would not trade our students for anyone in the country probably because I was one of them. It’s a very unique thing that we have at Georgia Tech and how our students have turned out over the last…just increased from week to week to week. Look, we all want a perfect product on the field, and we had times when we had a really good product. We had times we didn’t play probably the way we’re capable of playing. And our fans continue to be there and show up. I mean we’re getting the lining kicked out of our butts the first quarter and a half of that Pitt game, and we had to slap the crap out of our face, but once we started (coming back) the fans were still there. They were still in it, and it really helped us get back into that football game. They didn’t have to stay, but they chose to. That’s when you’re building a program like this. The fan support and the students, they’re a part of the build along with you. They’re a part of this just as much as anybody.”