Anonymous ACC Coaches Take A Look At Georgia Tech Quarterback Haynes King Ahead of the 2024 Season

Will King be one of the ACC's top quarterbacks in 2024?

Nov 4, 2023; Charlottesville, Virginia, USA; Georgia Tech Yellow Jackets quarterback Haynes King (10) scores a touchdown against the Virginia Cavaliers during the first half at Scott Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Amber Searls-USA TODAY Sports / Amber Searls-USA TODAY Sports

Georgia Tech quarterback Haynes King was one of the top stories in the ACC last year. After transferring over from Texas A&M and beating out Zach Pyron for the starting job, King turned into one of the most productive quarterbacks in the country.

King accounted for 3,729 yards of total offense (2,842 passing, 737 rushing) and 37 touchdowns (27 passing, 10 rushing) in his first season as the Yellow Jackets’ starting quarterback in 2023. He was one of only two Power Five conference players with at least 2,800 passing yards, 700 rushing yards, 25 touchdown passes, and 10 touchdown runs in 2023, joining Heisman Trophy winner and eventual No. 2 overall pick in the NFL Draft, Jayden Daniels of LSU, while he became only the fourth Atlantic Coast Conference player since 2000 to reach those plateaus in a single season, joining Clemson’s Deshawn Watson (2015), Louisville’s Lamar Jackson (2016 and 2017) and Virginia Tech’s Jerod Evans (2016).

He is going to play a major role in how Georgia Tech's season turns out and in a new article, ESPN's Adam Rittenberg talked to anonymous ACC coaches and coordinators about different quarterbacks and here is what they had to say about the Georgia Tech quarterback:

"King's first season as Georgia Tech's QB1 had a bit of everything -- passing production early, rushing production throughout, seven games with multiple touchdown passes, four with multiple interceptions, and nine rushing touchdowns in the team's final seven games. The performances were erratic at times but rarely boring, and King, a former top-50 national recruit, showcased the playmaking skills that made Texas A&M fans so excited about his arrival.

"They led the ACC in rushing last year, and he was a big part of that," an ACC defensive coordinator said. "I don't know if the quarterback's an NFL player, but he's a really good college quarterback right now. If he goes and has another good year, then somebody will [draft him], because he looks like he's made of all the right stuff. He has the ability to keep a play alive and throw the ball down the field. You can see that in his game for sure."

King has a showcase opportunity Saturday against Florida State in Ireland to open the season. Accuracy will be key as he completed less than 56% of his passes in three of the final four games last fall.

"He's tall, he can run, he's tough, coach's kid," an ACC coach said. "He makes a difference."

If Georgia Tech wants to pull the upset on Saturday, King will have to play. As good as he was last season, he led the ACC in turnovers and was inconsistent against some of the better defenses the Yellow Jackets played. He will have to take care of the ball on Saturday and have a productive day on the ground and hit the necessary plays through the air for the Yellow Jackets to win.