Brent Key returns to UCF this Saturday. He's the Assistant Head Coach/Run Game Coordinator/Offensive Line coach at GT.
This was an all-time media moment... In September 2015, with UCF 0-3 and coming off a loss to Furman, Brent Key did an interview in his office with myself and Shannon Green of the Orlando Sentinel. Might have been someone else in the room too. Key snapped at Shannon's question regarding criticism of putting Nick Patti in as the "Wild Knight."
Look, coaches are never going to appreciate anybody - especially someone in the media or a fan - questioning their coaching decisions.
One of those criticisms in the last game was about the usage of the Wild Knight as far as Bo not being able to get into a rhythm because [Nick] Patti would come in for that package. What is your response to that as far as what the philosophy was?
"I'm usually here, I probably have more free time around 4 to 4:30 a.m. if anybody would like to come in and sit down and watch tape with me and give me their response and how they'd like to handle the situation. Feel free to come in here between 4 to 5 a.m."
You come in that early?
"It depends if I've left yet."
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This is actually what I posted at the time because people were roasting him about the 4 a.m. comment:
As for the quote about fan criticism, I think it's unfair to jump on that. The rest of the interview was great, IMO. Some of his past interviews are a little too much "coach-speak" at times and this was a lot more candid, passionate and relatable. You can tell the slow start has affected him. The comment about fans coming to his office at 4 in the morning was quick and off the cuff, he had actually answered a similar question at the beginning.
Towards the end, I thought he was also quite honest about the injury situation. Everybody repeats the "next man up" mantra but the losses really are piling up. I know that's not a complete excuse because the offense struggled just the same against FIU, but it's not an ideal situation.
I know things obviously unraveled that season. And it was sad to see what GOL/Key had helped build sort of crumble towards the end. Key was a great OL coach that didn't deserve some of the flak he got.
