One analyst ranks Haynes King among the ACC's top quarterbacks

King has been a great addition to Georgia Tech

Author:
Jackson Caudell
Publish date:
Sep 27, 2023 5:36 PM EDT

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Not many thought that Haynes King would have the kind of impact that he is having at Georgia Tech, but he has made a tremendous impact on the Yellow Jackets. Georgia Tech has one of the ACC's top offenses through four games and King is second in the ACC in passing yards. Not only that, but he has been a reliable threat on the ground as well.

Going into the year, most would rank King near the bottom of the ACC when it comes to the quarterbacks, but his start to the season has analysts rethinking that position.

This week, 247Sports analyst Grant Hughes was re-ranking every quarterback in the ACC and he made sure to put King in the top five. Here is what Huges had to say about the way that King has played so far in 2023:

"Projected to finish at or near the bottom of the conference this season, Georgia Tech sits 2-2 after a big win over Wake Forest this week. The Yellow Jackets lost a lot on offense this offseason but gained King via the transfer portal, and he's made a huge difference. He ranks second in the conference with 1,132 passing yards and is tied for first in passing touchdowns (11). He's completed passes to 14 different receivers this season, proving he can spread the ball around, too."

Haynes King is one of the top quarterbacks in the ACC
Nathaniel Caudell

Here is how Hughes ranked the rest of the quarterbacks:

1. Jordan Travis (Florida State)

2. Drake Maye (North Carolina)

3. Tyler Van Dyke (Miami)

4. Riley Leonard (Duke)

5. Haynes King (GT)

6. Jack Plummer (Louisville)

7. Cade Klubnik (Clemson)

8. Garrett Shrader (Syracuse)

9. Thomas Castellanos (Boston College)

10. Brennan Armstrong (NC State)

11. Mitch Griffis (Wake Forest)

12. Phil Jurkovec (Pitt)

13. Kyron Drones (Virginia Tech)

14. Anthony Colandrea (UVA)

Going into the season, there were some that thought King might even be a downgrade from former starting quarterback Jeff Sims and that has been far from the case.

247Sports analyst Clint Brewster wrote about teams that are replacing their starter with a transfer quarterback this season and if the team is better off or worse with the new starter.

Here is what he had to say about Georgia Tech going from King to Sims:

"Georgia Tech brought in King, the former Texas A&M transfer signal-caller, with new head coach Brent Key now at the helm. Last year, the Yellow Jackets started Sims at quarterback. He, at times, showed remarkable talent and upside but couldn't quite put it all together. King was a highly recruited quarterback out of Texas. He ran a verified 4.5-second 40-yard dash.

King struggled as a passer at Texas A&M, and many wondered if he would fit better in a different offense. Texas A&M ended up with two different starters by the end of the season and King decided to leave.

Sims didn't light the world on fire at Georgia Tech and also struggled at times to consistently make throws. Although it was just a spring game, Sims looked outstanding for Nebraska in that game and could have his best year yet."

Verdict: Georgia Tech got worse

Nobody who makes predictions will ever be right all the time, but I think Georgia Tech is more than happy with how King has played this season and how he can continue to improve.