‘I Wanted to Be Like Him Growing Up’: Georgia Tech HC Brent Key Pays Respect to Deion Sanders Before Season Opener Matchup

The countdown is almost over. In just a few days, Deion Sanders’ Colorado Buffaloes and Georgia Tech Yellow Jackets will clash under the Friday night lights, kicking off their seasons in one of Week One’s most fascinating matchups.

For Coach Prime, it’s another opportunity to cement Colorado as a legitimate force in the Big 12 after last year’s nine-win campaign. But for Buffs fans, their season opener will also give them a glimpse into what life after Shedeur Sanders and Travis Hunter is going to look like.

Meanwhile, on the other sideline, Brent Key has a chance to showcase how far his Georgia Tech program has come since he took over and led the Yellow Jackets to consecutive bowl appearances. Beyond the X’s and O’s, however, Key admits that this week’s matchup carries some personal weight.

Growing up in Birmingham, Alabama, just like every other football fan, Key was glued to his TV whenever Deion Sanders was playing, whether it was on the diamond or the gridiron. He will now face the same guy on the football field.

“When you grow up, an avid sports fan in the Southeast… I was a huge fan of baseball, and obviously, my team was the Braves growing up in Birmingham,” Key revealed.

“So to see him be able to perform and play at both sports at such a high level, it was just the coolest thing because there were two guys then that were doing it. It was him and it was Bo Jackson. And those were the two guys that I wanted to be like when I grew up.”

But then, why didn’t Key walk in Sanders’ footsteps and pursue one of the two sports? The Georgia Tech HC was honest enough to acknowledge the reality that he lacked the physical tools to play professionally. “I obviously couldn’t hit a curve ball, and then I wasn’t fast enough to play corner or running back. So here I am,” the HC playfully said.

Georgia Tech HC Brent Key says growing up an Atlanta Braves fan and watching Deion Sanders play two sports “was the coolest thing.”

“There were two guys who were doing it: him and Bo Jackson.”

“Those were the two guys I wanted to be like when I grew up.” pic.twitter.com/bSNaBM4LMq

— Scott Procter (@ScottProcter_) August 24, 2025

Coming back to the present, Brent Key knows what he’s up against, as he acknowledged the fact that Colorado carries one of the biggest offensive lines in the nation, and has NFL minds like Pat Shurmur (offense) and Livingston (defense) shaping its identity.

“They might be, if not the biggest, one of the biggest offensive lines in the country,” Key admitted. “And I’m talking every level, they’re massive. So it’s a challenge just going to play a really good football team. That’s the challenge.”

Even with all the stakes, Georgia Tech’s head coach still joked at the ACC Kickoff about asking Deion Sanders for a selfie or autograph before the game: “He’s a legend of our game, so it’s exciting all across the board.”

It’s these mini subplots that make Friday night so intriguing. For it’s not just a clash of two rising programs, but also a matchup between a coach who grew up idolizing Deion Sanders and now sees the legend on the opposite sideline.

You can’t write a better script to kickstart Colorado’s CFB campaign this year!