While as an assistant at the University of Central Florida (UCF), Key was selected to be the heir apparent to George O'Leary following his retirement.

[7] Following the 2013 season in which UCF won the Fiesta Bowl, Key reportedly declined the head coaching job at UAB to remain with the Knights.

On February 15, 2016, Key was hired as the offensive line coach at the University of Alabama, replacing Mario Cristobal.

[9] Cam Robinson, Ross Pierschbacher, and Jonah Williams are a few of Key’s linemen who would go on to be named All-Americans during his tenure at Bama.

Because of the team’s improvement during his tenure, the interim tag was taken off on November 29 as Key was named Georgia Tech’s 21st head football coach.

[10] In 2023, Key led Georgia Tech to a 7-6 record, reaching its first bowl game and achieving its first winning season since 2018.

During his time at UCF, he met his wife, Danielle Key, who worked on the marketing team for the university's athletic department.