Georgia Tech Football Transfer Profile: Haynes King

Can Haynes King bring some consistency to the quarterback position?

Author:
Jackson Caudell
Publish date:
Feb 16, 2023 7:54 PM EST

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Georgia Tech has brought in 12 new transfers to the program and the Yellow Jackets are hoping that each of them can make an impact this season as Tech tries to make it back to a bowl game for the first time since 2018. I think it would be a good idea to take a deep dive into each one and assess the chances that they make an impact next fall.

Let's start with the most important position on the field: Quarterback.

Georgia Tech had a talented quarterback in Jeff Sims for the last three seasons, but for a variety of reasons, Sims was never able to find the success in Atlanta and transferred to Nebraska this offseason. He was not the only Yellow Jackets quarterback to transfer either. Taisun Phommachanh spent most of last season as the fourth string quarterback, but did play a role in Tech's upset win over North Carolina and then had a touchdown run the next week against Georgia. Phommachanh transferred to UMass during the offseason and Tech was left with just two quarterbacks on the roster.

With no high school quarterback in the 2023 class, it became pretty apparent that Tech was going to have to add one through the transfer portal to compete with Zach Pyron and Zach Gibson for the starting spot. On December 18th, Georgia Tech got a commitment from Texas A&M transfer Haynes King and the Yellow Jackets added a former four-star quarterback to their quarterback room.

Haynes King is a former starter for Texas A&M
Daniel Dunn-USA TODAY Sports

King spent the last three seasons playing at Texas A&M after signing with the Aggies in the class of 2019. Here is what 247Sports National Scouting Analyst Gabe Brooks wrote about King when scouting him for the next level:

"Long-framed, athletic quarterback with true dual-threat ability. Grew two inches from sophomore to junior year. Lean, sinewy build, but terrific frame space and big hands. Outstanding athlete who runs the 400, the 4x400 relay, and throws the discus. Also plays basketball. Flashes big-play top-end speed in the read game. Perhaps at his best throwing on the run. Very accurate on the move and throws with impressive touch. Has shown terrific ball placement even when throwing across body on the run. Extends plays with his athleticism. Plays with calm, poised demeanor. Coach's kid with high football IQ. Fierce competitor. Dangerous on the run but will stand in the pocket and deliver under duress if required. Shows above-average arm strength, but can improve overall throwing power - which should come with further development and physical maturity. Must continue to add bulk to fill out frame and improve overall strength. Displays excellent knack for varying arm angles as needed, but needs to quicken release and shorten delivery. Highly productive dual-threat QB with great physical traits and huge production for a Texas Class 6A D-II state title team as a junior. Definite P5-caliber starter with early-round NFL Draft potential."

That is pretty high praise for the quarterback and his NFL comparison was current Tennessee Titans quarterback Ryan Tannehill. I think that is a fair comparison because like Tannehill, King has athleticism as well and uses it effectively. I am not saying he is going to lead Georgia Tech in rushing next season if he is the starting quarterback, but I think he will be able to use his legs in the red zone as a weapon and bring that kind of dimension to the offense.

His 2021 season was cut short after being injured early in the season in a game against Colorado. He started this season off as the starter but was benched after Texas A&M was upset by App State. He did return as the starter and had his best game on the road against Alabama, a game in which he threw for 253 yards and two touchdowns and nearly led the Aggies to a big upset on the road. For his career as an Aggie, King has thrown for 1,579 yards with 10 touchdowns and 10 interceptions.

King has a slight edge in experience and I think there is a chance that Texas A&M's outdated offense and coaching was holding him back. He played well at times, especially against Alabama this past season, and if new offensive coordinator Buster Faulkner and quarterbacks coach/co-offensive coordinator Chris Weinke can get the most out of him, King could be in for a big season.

In a recent article by Brian Dohn and Gabe Brooks at 247Sports, he listed King as one of the former highly-rated recruits that he still believes in:

"Former four-star quarterback Haynes King, No. 110 overall in the class of 2019 Top247, is now at Georgia Tech after he spent the past three seasons at Texas A&M. The Aggies' offensive struggles in recent seasons are well documented, but they are certainly not derived from a lack of talent. In regards to King, I suspect he has not been completely healthy since 2018, when he led Longview (Texas) High to a 16-0 record and the storied program's first state championship since the 1930s. He's spent the four seasons since, including his senior year at LHS, banged up to varying degrees, and at Texas A&M, in a system/under a coaching staff that did not let Haynes King be Haynes King.

What does that mean? He's one of the most athletic quarterback prospects in the past several years, a verified 4.50-second 40-yard dasher who played three sports in high school (basketball, discus, 400 meters, relays). King certainly can hit the long ball as a runner, but merely allowing him to break the pocket and make improvisational plays — something clearly discouraged at his previous stop — would potentially rekindle the flame that burned so brightly in his high school days. If King can just get some reps (the past three years have seen only 226 throws and 41 rushes in 10 total games) and stay healthy while hopefully participating in an offense that allows him to play to his strengths, I'm still confident we will see the one-time high-level QB prospect blossom into what we expected."

I agree with the assessment that King is better than what he showed at Texas A&M and I am hopeful that Faulkner is going to maximize King's skill set in the new offense. King's athleticism could be a big plus in his attempt to be the starter because of how poor the Georgia Tech offensive line was last season and if it does not improve, whoever is starting at quarterback is going to have to be able to move around in the pocket and King is more mobile than either Pyron and Gibson.

But first things first; King has to beat out Pyron and Gibson through the spring and the fall and I am not sure when Brent Key will name a starting quarterback. I project King to be the starter though and I am anxious to see how he looks during the spring. Quarterback is not the only area that Georgia Tech needs big improvement, but it can certainly make the most difference.

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