2020 All-Conference USA Second Team
2020 PFF College All-CUSA Second Team
2020 Phil Steele All-CUSA Second Team
2020 Wuerffel Trophy Watch List
2019 Conference USA Honorable Mention
Conference USA Defensive Player of the Week (Nov. 9, 2019)
2018 Conference USA Honorable Mention
2017 Conference USA All-Freshman Team
PFF College C-USA Team of the Week (Sept. 14, 2019)
PFF College C-USA Team of the Week (Sept. 28, 2019)
2020 (r-Sr) | 12/12: Key capped his Hilltopper career as one of the most accomplished defenders in program history. In four years, he started 49 of a possible 50 games at safety, including 43 straight dating back to the 2017 season. With 350 career tackles, he set the program's FBS Era (since 2009) record, surpassing Andrew Jackson's 326 tackles from 2010-13. Those 350 career tackles also placed him 10th on the all-time charts in WKU's 102-season history, and ranked fourth among FBS players who were active for the 2020 season. As a senior, Key recorded 92 total tackles (55 solo, 37 assisted) to lead the Hilltoppers, rank third in Conference USA and 23rd in the nation. He added three pass breakups to bring his career total to 19 and an interception in the LendingTree Bowl to push his career number to six. His 15 total tackles vs. Liberty were a career-high and he added four more double-digit performances that upped his career total to 12.
2019 (r-Jr) | 13/13: Key started all 13 games for the Hilltoppers as the safety position, his third-straight season with the starting job on the back end of the defense. He produced 93 tackles (47 solo, 46 assisted) – including 2.5 for loss – and added eight pass breakups; he ranked third on WKU in tackles and tied for second in pass breakups. He also recovered a fumble on Sept. 14 vs. Louisville and had a 25-yard "pick six" on Nov. 9 at Arkansas. For his performance in Fayetteville, in which he also added seven tackles, he was voted Conference USA Defensive Player of the Week. He had four double-digit tackle performances, while recording a career-high two tackles for loss on Sept. 7 at FIU. He also added a pair of pass breakups in back-to-back weeks on Oct. 5 at Old Dominion and Oct. 12 vs. Army. He enters the 2020 season tied for second in WKU's FBS Era (dating back to 2009) with 258 career tackles; Andrew Jackson's 326 is the high mark in that time frame.
2018 (r-So.) | 12/12: Key recorded 71 tackles (41 solo, 30 assisted) to lead WKU defensive backs, including three for loss, while six pass breakups and a team-high three interceptions, starting contests all 12 games. He had a 45-yard interception return for touchdown on Sept. 8 vs. Maine in the first quarter to put the Hilltoppers ahead by a score of 14-0, only 103 seconds into the game; it was the first pick six by a WKU defender since Joe Brown on Sept. 23, 2018 vs. Ball State. Key also recorded interceptions in each of the final two games of the season, on Nov. 17 vs. UTEP and on Nov. 24 at Louisiana Tech. He reached double-digit tackles for the third time in his WKU career in the season opener on Aug. 31 at No. 4 Wisconsin, tallying 10 on the night. Key had a career-high two pass breakups in back-to-back weeks early in the year, on Sept. 15 at Louisville and on Sept. 22 at Ball State.
2017 (r-Fr.) | 12/12: The redshirt freshman Key was the season-opening starter at safety and racked up 94 tackles (44 solo, 50 assisted) to rank second on WKU and 16th in Conference USA. He recorded at least nine tackles on five occasions and 0.5 tackles for loss in seven different games. He grabbed his first-career interception in the end zone on Nov. 11 at Marshall, while adding a pair of pass breakups earlier in the season. He had a career-high 12 tackles on Sept. 9 at Illinois, then added 11 on Oct. 28 vs. Florida Atlantic.
2016 (Fr.): Key redshirted his first season on The Hill.
HS/Misc.: In his prep career at Bryan Station, Key played both defense and offense and finished his senior season in the top 15 in receiving yards per game with 55.0 in the state. He had 31 receptions with 591 yards and nine touchdowns on the season to rank him as a top 15 scorer in the state. Key was named to the Associated Press All-State First Team, Second Team All-State by USA Today and the All-City Defense First Team by the Lexington Herald-Leader in 2015. The Lexington, Ky., native was also named to the Class of the Commonwealth as a senior. Key is ranked as a two-star prospect by 247sports.com, Scout.com, Rivals.com and the No. 17 player in Kentucky by 247Sports.
