Georgia Tech agreed to make interim coach Brent Key the program’s full-time head coach on Tuesday.

Key, who was the program’s assistant head coach, offensive line coach and run game coordinator, was given the interim coach title in September after Georgia Tech fired Geoff Collins amid a 1-3 start.

The Yellow Jackets went 4-4 under Key on their way to finishing 5-7 (4-4 Atlantic Coast Conference), including a 21-17 upset of then-No. 13 North Carolina on Nov. 19.

Key, 44, is a Georgia Tech alumnus who played right guard for the program from 1997-2000.

“Like I’ve said many times over the past two months, I love this team, and I couldn’t be more excited to be their head coach,” Key said in a news release. “We will work unbelievably hard to make our fans, alumni and former players very proud of this program. Thank you to everyone who has supported our team over the past two months, and we thank you in advance for your continued support as we begin working towards next season. Go Jackets!”

Athletic director J Batt said in a statement, “Since I arrived on campus earlier this fall, I have observed first-hand Coach Key’s leadership, passion, energy and genuine care for our student-athletes, our football program and the Institute, as well as how his players and staff responded to his leadership and the genuine care that they have for him.

“There was strong interest from across the country to be the next head coach at Georgia Tech, and we conducted an exhaustive national search. At the beginning and end of the search, it was clear that the best choice for Georgia Tech is Brent Key.”

Georgia Tech vetted a number of external candidates, but ESPN reported that the school’s reluctance to guarantee enough money in the contract turned some candidates off.

Tulane coach Willie Fritz was reported to be among the candidates the Yellow Jackets were interested in. Earlier Tuesday, Tulane announced that Fritz informed the school he was staying put.

–Field Level Media