Co-Offensive Coordinator & Quarterback Coach Chris Weinke Comments On Georgia Tech QB Graham Knowles

There has been a lot of conversation about the future of the Georgia Tech quarterback position and rightfully so. Haynes King will play his final game on Saturday in Orlando vs BYU in the Pop-Tarts Bowl. King has had a productive Georgia Tech career and has gotten the Yellow Jackets back on track and playing at a high level, consistently being in the top 25 this season. Aaron Philo was the heir apparent to King, but he decided to enter the transfer portal and explore his options, especially with former Georgia Tech offensive coordinator Buster Faulkner leaving for Florida. It now feels like a void that Georgia Tech must fill. They have three viable quarterbacks on the roster to try to figure out who will be the starter next season. They will also have the transfer portal to use to try and bring in a veteran to fill out the room.

One of the quarterbacks on the roster is Graham Knowles, who has been patient and waited for his turn. He hasn’t played a ton during his Yellow Jackets career, but has stayed ready. He showed a nice flash this season with an 84-yard touchdown pass against Gardner-Webb. His passer rating from that one pass is unreal, with a 1135.6 quarterback rating. His quarterbacks coach from this season talked about Knowles and how he has developed as a quarterback.

“I always say that you know, we live in this microwave society where a lot of these high school kids want to leave high school and try to find a place where they can play right away, and I'm old school in terms of trusting the process, right? I know that can be a cliché sometimes, but to play this position at a high level, there's no better situation than having those young guys watch this guy here. Here's a veteran guy who's played a lot of football that goes about his business the right way, that prepares the right way. To be able to see how he approaches it only helps those younger guys. Sometimes they think they're ready to play, but they really don't. They're really not. Um, I do think the most important piece at this position is to make sure you continue to improve, right? The opportunity for those quarterbacks to improve you know, from the first semester to the spring ball, to those things. Graham has shown that,” said Weinke.

“Graham is still young, hadn't played football, right? He's played one snap for us in live football. So, there's still a lot to learn. The ultimate goal is to be able to go out there and be consistent. Um, and every young quarterback has to learn how to do that. He's in that process. Hopefully, he continues to stay on that trajectory. We'll see where it goes. I can't predict the future. Every high school quarterback that goes to college is really based on potential, right? It's our job as coaches to develop these young men and then put them in a competitive environment. That's what I want. I want guys to compete in our room. Uh they've done that. He's obviously competed for and won the job for the last three years. Uh deservedly so. So now, as we move forward, that room will still be competitive, and we'll find out who's all going to be in there.”

Knowles will be the backup on Saturday against BYU. It is not likely we will see him, but if we do, it could be an audition for 2026 and an early look for Knowles. The good thing is he has the backing from the offensive coordinator for the BYU game, and a coach with a lot of experience in Weinke. This could bode well for his future with his team and potentially being a starter in 2026. Knowles will be one to continue to follow this offseason to see how he develops and if he can be the guy for Georgia Tech.

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