2027 QB Kharim Hughley Left Georgia Tech With An Offer After His Visit Saturday & Talks Yellow Jackets

The sophomore phenom talks the Yellow Jackets and breakout sophomore campaign

Najeh Wilkins | Feb 3, 2025

Photo Via Najeh Wilkins (SI)

Gainesville QB has established himself as one of the best quarterbacks in Georgia after a breakout sophomore campaign for the Gainesville Red Elephants. He threw for 2,543 yards and 22 touchdowns. He also ran for 108 yards and three touchdowns. Hughley had to compete for a starting job all the way up to the end of the summer before eventually landing the job.

It definitely made him better for it and colleges started to take notice and the offers have been rolling in. Hughley has picked up offers from Western Kentucky, Miami (OH), USF, Georgia State, Auburn, Georgia, Duke, Illinois, and more.

🔥Hot take of the day🔥: Kharim Hughley is the next star in Georgia High School Football. You can book it ‼️@KharimHughley pic.twitter.com/8LkMZsTjnH
— Najeh Wilkins (@najehwilk) October 29, 2024

He left with an offer from Georgia Tech this past weekend and dived into the offer from the Yellow Jackets.

“Their culture stands out. They really stand by their own standards. A lot of people say it’s hard to go to Georgia Tech, play football and do school because it’s a really prestigious school, but if you put your time and effort into it, it's possible. Coach Brent Key has done really good things with the program up there. They are expanding a little bit and they are getting better. They are going to have a really good season. I like their offense. I’ve seen it and it is really sweet,” said Hughley.

Hughley has started to build a rapport with quarterbacks coach Chris Weinke and enjoys how he coaches the quarterbacks and what he looks for at the position.

“Coach Weinke is similar to coach Mike Bobo, just a straightforward guy. He coaches hard, and I like to be coached hard. I want a coach to make me get better every day. Don’t ever let me slack off. Coach Weinke talked about a couple of things that it takes to play quarterback at Georgia Tech. He said you have to be tough mentally and physically. He said it is not always about you having the strongest arm or you having the most stars. He doesn’t really care about that. He said there are a lot of elite quarterbacks that he wouldn’t want to coach. You have to be a leader on and off the field. Not a good leader but a great leader. Coach Weinke is a really good coach.”

I saw him several times throughout his sophomore year and he continued to flourish and get better each game. The first look I had at him was in a hostile environment on the road in Moody, Alabama. In that game, Hughley finished with 218 yards passing and a touchdown. He did a really good job of managing the game and taking what the defense was giving him, leading the Red Elephants to a dominant 31-7 win. Moody ended up making the state championship this past season in Alabama. A week later on Peachtree Sports Network, he put together another great outing defeating a well-known program that produces a lot of NFL talent in the Westlake Lions.

In the game, he threw for 214 yards and two touchdowns. Hughley carved up the defense with the deep ball and averaged 27 yards per throw. That still wasn’t even one of his top games in 2024.

One of his best games of the season came against the Roswell Hornets where he threw for 456 yards and six touchdowns while completing 72.2% of his passes. He also recorded his second-best quarterback rating of the season finishing with a 154 rating. The Red Elephants ended up losing but he did all he could to lead his team to victory.

“My favorite game was the Roswell game. It was really intense. We went back and forth throughout the entire game. I like pressure so it was really exciting for me. I was on the sidelines with the coaches watching. We knew going into the game that it was going to be a high-scoring game. The offense had to stay ready and prepared. We just kept going back out there. Guys had my trust and I had their trust and we were able to do great things.

2027 QB Kharim Hughley is a name to know. In his first year starting, he’s played well for Gainesville and has led them to a 3-0 record. His coming out game was against Westlake on Peachtree Sports Network where he threw for five touchdowns. He is just getting started pic.twitter.com/Ju97whYys5
— Najeh Wilkins (@najehwilk) September 11, 2024

In terms of what makes him special on the gridiron, it is his poise and adaptability. In adverse circumstances, he shines because he knows how to adjust and get the best out. He is never rattled or makes a mistake that will cost his team. You can tell that by his low turnover numbers. Hughley had just two interceptions.

“My adaptability or my poise." Being able to go into any circumstance or any situation and come out with a positive head. Being able to grow from any situation. To use what I’ve learned to get better as time goes on. When I was younger playing running back, I had to be patient with quarterbacks and play calls. So when I switched to quarterback it kind of just translated into being patient and calm. Just trusting what the game plan is and trusting my guys to go make plays and just getting them the ball,” said Hughley.

He plans to spend more time studying in the offseason so he can check more plays and be more in sync with his head coach Josh Niblett, who won six state championships in Alabama and has made a state championship appearance with Gainesville.

“I am going to spend a lot of time in the classroom this offseason. Get a better understanding of the offense. I know the offense but I want to get to a point where I already know what the play is going to be before coach Niblett even calls it based on the situation and based on the down. I want me and coach Niblett to be connected. I want to get to the point where I can make calls for myself,” said Niblett. “I think it would be a lot easier and a lot better for us if I got better in the playcall aspect. I had a few times last year when I could have made better decisions, so I am going to spend a lot of time on my decision-making and just getting better. Coach Niblett helps me a lot and he puts me in the best situations. After school, we will watch a little film and be able to take a little bit of the game. Keep learning, keep building, and keep growing. He does a great job of developing players.

“I will also be doing a little 7 on 7 and I will be running track. I run the 200M, and I long jump and triple jump. Also, spending time and training. I think running track is going to help me with my form and get me faster where I can be more effective with my legs next year. The long jump and triple jump will let me have more power in my legs.

Hughley is also looking to build more rapport with his new receiving core next year which he will have at Gainesville. An interesting note when you talk to the program is he was already a key leader on the team as a sophomore. Hughley already had the respect of veteran players on the team and his coaches at a young age. It will feel a little different in 2025 especially with so many players graduating from Gainesville and new pieces will have to be in bigger roles. However, Hughley is an unquestioned leader of the program and is ready to lead the team to success and to a state championship. Expect a big year out of the Gainesville QB who has established himself as a can’t-miss prospect here in the Peach State.

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