Rounding off our last position group for the offense is, of course, our quarterback room. Haynes King is the undisputed leader and has been since the Brent Key era began in earnest at Georgia Tech. Transferring over from Texas A&M for the 2023 season, the former 4-star QB has accumulated 4,956 yards through the air with 41 touchdowns to 18 interceptions. King is the culture personified at Georgia Tech under Head Coach Brent Key. He isn’t afraid of contact and has a focus and determination about him, even in the face of adversity. It’s his calm and stoic demeanor that the rallies around have been a reason for many of the upsets and close wins the past couple of years.
King’s scoring production did dip from the 23’ season to the 24’ season, but some of that was due to a shoulder injury that kept him out of the Notre Dame and Virginia Tech games, and limited him during the Miami and NC State games. One knock King received after the 23’ season was that he led the ACC in interceptions with 16 and was deemed a little careless with the ball. You’re Georgia Tech fans, so if you do the simple math, you know to get 18 total, he only threw two last season, giving him a 7:1 touchdown to interception ratio. Yes, a ratio so strong that even the classic GTGs couldn’t hope to overcome back in the day.
Equally as feared as his ability to throw is his ability to run on a defense. King accumulated 587 yards on the season with 11 rushing touchdowns. UNC and UGA were torched for over 100 yards each and allowed multiple touchdowns to King’s legs in both games. It’s this talent that gives defenses a hesitant step on whether to hone in on King at the expense of letting Tech’s team speed fly past them.
It’s not just King that makes this a strong position group. Aaron Philo got his first significant playing time late against Virginia Tech after Zack Pyron was banged up, filling in for an absent Haynes King. The game was close to out of reach by the time he came in, but he looked solid as a passer, managing 184 yards on 11 completions before throwing a late pick on the Hokies’ side of the field that could have been a big gain, but instead slipped through Avery Boyd’s hands.
Philo played a part in the upset win over unbeaten Miami, coming in on the passing downs for Haynes King. Despite Georgia Tech telegraphing the play calls by which QB was in, Philo hit Chase Lane for a 15-yard touchdown that would be Philo’s first career touchdown and the nail in Miami’s unbeaten season. The NC State game is where he truly won over the crowd, with NC State having made a comeback and leading by 6 with 22 seconds remaining. Tech was 18 yards from pay dirt, and NC State was set up not to give up a big pass play. Good coverage and a rush from the outside opened the middle of the pocket for Aaron Philo, who decided to show that King wasn’t the only quarterback who could use his legs and scrambled for the winning touchdown. It would be his final play of the season as Tech elected to preserve his redshirt, realizing the player they had to come in future seasons.
One quarterback will not return with Georgia Tech this season as Zach Pyron departed for Minnesota in the offseason and then transferred to South Alabama after spring practice. Pyron served well as a goal-line threat over the years and even showed a solid passing performance against a nasty Notre Dame defense with 269 yards and a touchdown. Should Tech become in dire need this season, they will have three other young QBs waiting in the wings: Graham Knowles, Ben Guthrie, and new signee Grady Adamson. Knowles was in the same signing class as Philo and was rated slightly higher in the 247 rankings. He will most likely be the third in line this year and hails from one of the powerhouse high schools in Texas, similar to King.
As we finish the offensive previews, it seems this season will be the culmination of years of work for many seniors. The offensive line will have a few new faces to work with, but overall, this side of the ball could be in for a special season with a quarterback who could have found a big payday but decided to stay his final year with the Yellow Jackets. I wouldn’t be shocked if by this time next year, a Georgia Tech quarterback will be gracing the roster of an NFL team.