Brent Key’s coaching staff has taken a bit of a hit this month. The third-year Georgia Tech coach, however, should have more than enough available funds to fill a couple of vacancies with high-level assistants in the coming weeks.
Offensive coordinator Buster Faulkner left Tech for Florida, offensive line coach Geep Wade went to Nebraska and running backs coach Norval McKenzie is at Virginia Tech. For choosing to leave on their own accord, each coach is on the hook for repaying a portion of their salary per the terms of their respective contracts.
In Faulkner’s case, he must “make a lump-sum payment to the Georgia Tech Athletic Association within 60 days from the effective date of termination if termination is effective prior to the conclusion of the 2025-2026 season, including postseason, in the amount of 100% of Faulkner’s total base salary that would be due during the otherwise unexpired term,” his contract states.
Had Faulkner waited until after Dec. 31 to join coach Jon Sumrall’s staff at Florida, he would have owed Tech nothing.
Faulkner received a raise and contract extension in July that bumped his salary to $1,250,000. Finding Faulkner’s replacement has been an ongoing process this month.
“I feel pretty strongly about what direction we’re going,” Key said in regard to his search for a new offensive coordinator. “You want a distraction? Start bringing people in (for interviews) a week before you play in the (bowl) game. That’s a distraction. I know what’s best for this football team. I know what’s best for this entire program. And that’s what we’re working at.”
As part of his recently signed contract, Key was given an additional $2 million to pay new assistant coaches. When Key was hired three years to coach the Yellow Jackets, his salary pool for assistant coaches totaled $7.5 million.
Although the departures of Wade and McKenzie won’t inflate Tech’s pocketbook, saying farewell to the payments for former coach Geoff Collins will. Collins signed a seven-year contract with Tech in 2018 and was still owed $11.37 million of that agreement when he was fired in September 2022.
Collins was due $2.4 million in 2025, per the term sheet he signed in 2018. Not having to fork over those checks anymore will aid the program in its spending in 2026.
Key already has spent some of his coaching budget on Allen Mogridge, who Key announced as the program’s new offensive line coach (Mogridge’s hire has not been made official by Tech). Mogridge has rejoined the program after spending the 2025 season with Appalachian State.
The comings and goings of personnel this month have not taken away from Tech’s focus on beating BYU in the Pop-Tarts Bowl. Quarterback Haynes King and right guard Keylan Rutledge agreed with that sentiment when they met with reporters after Wednesday’s practice.
“I don’t consider it a distraction at all,” Key said. “Guys get other opportunities, they have to do what is best for them and their families. Everybody’s looking for the best opportunity for them. And they’ve got to do what’s best for them and their families. There’s no distractions. I don’t know if I’ve been on a team in the last 25 years that hadn’t had something take place with people transitioning and leaving.
“We’ve got a lot of people on staff. So it fills in pretty quickly, and we’re going to fill those spots in and there’s not distraction when it comes to that part of it.”
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