Anonymous ACC coach sees future head coaches on Georgia Tech's coaching staff

For much of the last decade, Georgia Tech has struggled to establish itself as a consistent winner. But after snapping a five-year bowl draught last season, the Yellow Jackets program appears to be trending in the right direction entering alum Brent Key‘s third year as head coach.

And while Key will undoubtedly get plenty of well-deserved credit, at least some of that upward progress can be attributed to his up-and-coming coordinators — second-year offensive coordinator Buster Faulkner and new defensive coordinator Blake Gideon, who Key hired away from Texas this offseason despite no prior coordinator experience.

Faulkner is entering his second season with the Yellow Jackets, where he helped transform well-traveled, dual-threat quarterback Haynes King into a potential All-ACC darkhorse after combining for 2,701 yards of total offense and 25 total touchdowns, including 11 rushing in 2024.

“They’ve got two really bright, really promising coordinators who will be head coaches one day,” an anonymous ACC coach told Athlon Sports as part of its 2025 season preview. “Faulkner really worked some magic with King, and later in the season they really figured it out in the run game.”

Anonymous ACC coach: New DC Blake ‘Gideon is a really big hire’

Gideon is far less proven, of course, but he was no less impactful at his alma mater, where he served as the Longhorns’ safeties coach the last four seasons, earning a promotion to associate head coach for defense in 2024 as Texas coach Steve Sarkisian worked to fend off other programs seeking his services. Obviously that effort only lasted one season as Key dipped into his Alabama assistant coaching roots to poach Gideon away from Sarkisian’s staff.

“Gideon is a really big hire for them,” a second anonymous ACC coach told Athlon Sports. “They’re decent, probably best on the defensive line, so how they adjust to a new system will be the thing to watch.”

With Faulkner and Gideon in tow, Georgia Tech appears to have all the makings of a potential ACC contender in Year 3 under Key, fully embracing their head coach’s hard-nosed offensive line mentality with a strong influence from their up-and-coming coordinators.

“Brent has rebuilt this program in his identity,” a third ACC coach told Athlon. “This is an O-lineman’s culture, and they really embrace contact and physicality.”

Added a fourth anonymous ACC coach: “This is Key’s team now, and they’re hard-nosed and mean.”