Georgia Tech head coach Brent Key is not against the changes college football has gone through over the last few years. While speaking to reporters during ACC Media Days on Thursday, Key was asked if he liked the changes in the sport, such as NIL and the transfer portal.

“You have to be adaptable. You have to be able to change,” Brent Key said. “People say, ‘You know, kids are different now.’ Well, so are the adults. We are to. We’re the ones to set the example. The same guys that want to complain about a lot of things in college football need to look themselves in the mirror. They’re the ones jumping jobs every two years, too.”

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Key added: “Let’s be real, the adults sometimes end up being the bigger problem. I’m very transparent with my team about that. We talk very real in terms of that. We’re co-workers. There’s no dictatorship at Georgia Tech. I’m the head coach, I’m the leader, yes. We have to work together, and they understand that. It’s about the players at Georgia Tech, always has been and always will be as long as I’m the head football coach there.”

Key’s ability to adapt is likely a big reason Georgia Tech saw a turnaround in 2025. After going 7-6 in 2023 and 2024, the Yellow Jackets finished the 2025 season with a 9-4 record and 6-2 in ACC play. It was the program’s best finish since 2016 (also 9-4).

While Key has no issues adapting to the college football landscape, he isn’t sure where the sport and college athletics are heading. “I don’t think anybody does. But I do see a cap of some sort coming in play,” Key said during an appearance on Atlanta’s 680 The Fan in June, per Alex Farrer of Jackets Online. “But rules have to be in place, like any profession. The rules have to be there. Now, whether they get those are all hypothetical worlds that you start to live in. And I’ve seen, just in this cycle, I’ve seen a balance more so than the last two years.”

Key and Georgia Tech will kick off the 2026 season on September 3, when they host Colorado. Some of the team’s other notable matchups this season are Tennessee (Sept. 12), Clemson (Nov. 14), and Georgia (Nov. 28).