Recent headlines from the professional game would lead readers to believe that running backs have struggled to earn their keep. A short shelf life, replaceable skill set, and predisposition to injuries are just a few reasons to support the claim that running backs are not worth large investments. However, as professional football continues to devalue ball carriers, a wide receiver turned running back helped carry (literally) the Jackets’s offense last year.
Jamal Haynes is a redshirt junior. He spent his first two years on the Flats in the receiver room, playing in a handful of games and recording no offensive stats for either year. During fall camp last year, he switched positions and quickly showed prowess in his new role. In his first season as a running back for the Jackets, Haynes became one of the best all-purpose backs in the ACC. He earned all-ACC honors as a running back (third team) and an all-purpose performer honorable mention. He finished fifth in the ACC and 45th in the nation in rushing yards (931). He recorded 156 carries, seven rushing touchdowns, and 1,129 all-purpose yards in 2023. Haynes became Tech’s first 1,000-yard rusher in six seasons. Haynes put up good numbers against a top-ranked u(sic)GA defense, rushing for 81 yards, and had a game-high of 128 yards in the Gasparilla Bowl versus UCF. All in all, the move from receiver to back truly bettered the Jackets’s backfield
Haynes’s success as a back was no surprise based on his speed, strength, and role model. Haynes’s mother, Annette Johnson, played running back for the Atlanta Xplosion, a semi-pro, 11-on-11 women’s tackle football team, for two seasons. Haynes and his brothers watched their mother devote her time and energy to practices and games while working full time, finishing a bachelor’s degree in Human Resources, and raising three sons. “Her playing football just really gave us the confidence and courage to actually go do it ourselves,” Haynes said. It is easy to see why football comes so naturally and means so much to Haynes. In the first episode of “Switchin’ Lanes”, a YouTube series interviewing Georgia Tech athletes, Haynes talks fondly about his position change, “When you love the game of football you’re going to do what it takes to still play the game. I was fortunate enough to be in a position where me and my coaches had the same … (idea) on what we needed to do to make our program a better program…I’m nothing but thankful and blessed.” As the new season approaches, it is safe to say all Tech fans share a similar sentiment.
Haynes was the second-highest-rated player for the Jackets and the sixth-ranked running back in the ACC per Pro Football Focus. Haynes returns to the field in the fall as the prototype for future Tech backs. His talent and athleticism will buoy him through his remaining seasons with the Jackets. I am truly excited to see the impact Haynes will make as he continues to grow into his position and follow in his mother’s footsteps.