Georgia Tech coach takes unusual approach with media before huge Clemson game
Georgia Tech football is all business heading into the Clemson game.
Yellow Jackets football coach Brent Key made that clear in his weekly news conference Tuesday, blitzing through about 20 questions in five minutes and offering unusually brief answers ahead of Saturday’s ACC showdown in Atlanta.
No. 12 Clemson (1-1) visits Georgia Tech (2-0) at Bobby Dodd Stadium on Saturday (noon, ESPN). The game’s point spread has dropped about six points down to Clemson by 3.5, and ESPN analytics give Georgia Tech a 55.9% chance of winning.
Ahead of a potentially season-altering game, Key was ... lock and key.
What’s the status of injured QB Haynes King?
“Looks good. Feels good. We’ll make a determination this weekend.”
Is there extra buzz heading into this game, given the opponent?
“No. Every game’s a challenge. This is the next challenge, and it’s a big one.”
What stands out about Clemson on tape?
“They’re a good football team, and we’re excited to play them.”
Will Clemson’s defensive line present a challenge?
“Every week’s a big challenge.”
Hype building for Clemson-Georgia Tech game
Key’s entire news conference clocked in at five minutes flat and was noticeably shorter than his first two pressers in the same setting this season. Key’s news conference before the Week 1 Colorado game was 18 minutes long, and his Week 2 news conference before the Gardner-Webb game lasted 20 minutes.
It was the briefest the third-year coach and former GT offensive lineman has ever been at the podium, according to multiple Georgia Tech beat writers.
Key didn’t provide any bulletin board material and was complimentary of Clemson. But his demeanor speaks to the opportunity ahead for Georgia Tech, which could score a signature upset win vs. the Tigers on Saturday.
This game looked tricky from the start, given it was Clemson’s road opener and ACC opener and came against a Georgia Tech team known for upset wins. Now the No. 12 Tigers look even more vulnerable after losing to LSU in their season opener and trailing Group of Five school Troy at halftime last week.
Georgia Tech has leaned into the matchup heavily. The Clemson game is the school’s designated “Whiteout” game for 2025, and Key will do his weekly radio show from a fraternity house Thursday to help drum up student support.
GT is anticipating a sellout at Bobby Dodd Stadium (capacity 51,193). Georgia Tech hasn’t hosted Clemson at its home stadium since 2020 (the COVID pandemic year) and hasn’t hosted Clemson without a stadium capacity restriction since 2018.
Under Key, Georgia Tech is 6-1 against AP ranked ACC opponents. GT upset Louisville on the road and No. 4 Miami at home last year and has beaten multiple ranked teams in three straight seasons for the first time since 1955-57.
Clemson has won nine straight games against Georgia Tech, a longtime ACC rival, dating back to 2014. The Tigers opened as a 9.5-point favorite against the Yellow Jackets over the summer and were a 6-point favorite on Sunday.
But the spread has dropped down to Clemson -3.5
“We’ll have to play our best game to this point to go win it,” Clemson coach Dabo Swinney said Monday.
This story was originally published September 9, 2025 at 2:01 PM.
