LSU head coach Lane Kiffin and Georgia head coach Kirby Smart have spent years battling for recruits and national relevance. Now, thanks to Georgia Tech, the rivalry has taken an unexpected twist into the next generation as Brent Key just offered scholarships to the sons of his two biggest rivals: Knox Kiffin and Andrew Smart. 

Per Jackets Online’s Kelly Quinlan report, Georgia Tech extended scholarship offers to two intriguing QB prospects on Thursday – Knox, son of Lane Kiffin, and Andrew, son of Kirby Smart. For the Yellow Jackets, this is a statement. Brent Key is making it clear that if there’s young talent with a football pedigree, he’s getting involved early, even if it means you have a rivalry hurdle, especially with Smart’s son. 

Andrew Smart, a member of the 2030 recruiting class, is preparing for his freshman season at Athens Academy. On Thursday, he was already inside Georgia Tech’s indoor facility, competing in the Corky Kell and Dave Hunter 7-on-7 event, when Brent Key made the move. It’s an interesting offer because he’s the son of Georgia’s head coach.

For decades, Georgia and Georgia Tech have fought one another in one of college football’s oldest rivalries, called Clean, Old-Fashioned Hate. The schools sit just 70 miles apart and have been trading blows since 1893. Brent Key and Kirby Smart know that history better than most.

Kirby Smart starred as an All-SEC safety at Georgia from 1995 to 1998, while Brent Key played offensive line at Georgia Tech from 1997 to 2000. They faced one another during the rivalry and later crossed paths again while coaching under Nick Saban at Alabama. Now they’re leading their old schools, which are the two biggest programs in the state. And now one of them is recruiting the other’s son. 

As for Knox Kiffin, the rising 2028 QB announced on social media that Georgia Tech had become the latest P4 program to offer him, joining SMU, Washington, Cal, Missouri, and several G5 programs. According to Rivals, he’s currently rated as the No. 511 overall prospect in his class, the No. 55 QB nationally, and the No. 13 junior prospect in Louisiana.

Knox Kiffin spent his sophomore season at Oxford High School before following his father to Baton Rouge and transferring to University Lab School. But when it comes to his football journey, he doesn’t want to follow Lane Kiffin, as he admitted to Rivals back in March. He’s not even afraid to poke fun at his dad as he’s doing now while discussing his future goals with LA First News reporter Chessa Bouche.

“He wasn’t good,” he joked while discussing Lane Kiffin’s playing career. “He wasn’t very good at all. I’m definitely trying to be better than him… He was a third-string, so I don’t want to do that. I want to be as good as I can.”

It’s a funny jab, but accurate. Lane Kiffin spent the mid-1990s as a backup QB at Fresno State and never became a star player before transitioning into coaching. Knox Kiffin believes he can write a better football story. And Georgia Tech wants a front-row seat if that happens. Even as of now, the Yellow Jackets’ recruiting momentum is becoming difficult to ignore.

Brent Key’s recruiting surge is turning heads.

While Brent Key was busy offering QBs with famous last names, he was also continuing to stack commitments for a rising 2027 class. The latest addition came from Antwan Lockett of Colquitt County High School in Georgia. The 3-star WR cited the combination of academics and football as a major factor in his decision, while also praising the culture Key has established in Atlanta.

“Coach Key has done a great job building the culture and getting the program moving in the right direction,” he said. “You can see the progress they’ve made, and it’s exciting to watch.”

Georgia Tech currently sits just outside the national top 25 recruiting rankings and ranks among the ACC’s strongest classes with 15 commits. It shows how Brent Key is recruiting aggressively. Whether it’s landing commitments, climbing the ACC rankings, or extending offers to the sons of Lane Kiffin and Kirby Smart, Georgia Tech is acting like a program that believes bigger things are coming.