ATLANTA — Georgia Tech special teams associate head coach Ricky Broomfield, who was not with the team during Saturday’s 21-6 loss at Virginia Tech, is no longer with the program.
In a two-sentence statement released Tuesday, Georgia Tech announced Tim Salem, senior adviser to coach Brent Key, will assume the role of special teams coach. Georgia Tech has not disclosed why Broomfield was replaced.
Key criticized special teams issues as the Yellow Jackets lost two straight games. Key did not reveal why Broomfield was not with the team after Saturday’s game.
The Yellow Jackets’ special teams problems were evident in a 31–13 loss to Notre Dame on October 19. Notre Dame had Aidan Beer’s 35-yard field goal attempt blocked, and another attempt failed due to a dropped snap by Georgia Tech. The Yellow Jackets also gave up a 27-yard gain on a fake punt by Notre Dame.
“Special teams hasn’t lived up to expectations for three weeks now,” Key said after the game.
Responding to a question last week that suggested special teams was “sort of” a problem, Key said, “There isn’t any” and added: “Nothing special happened.”
Key also said the special teams’ play had been “unacceptable” and said he would “make the necessary adjustments. … And that’s what I had to decide and I did.”
Georgia Tech (5-4, 3-3 Atlantic Coast Conference) is off this week and hosts No. 5 Miami on Nov. 9.
