Brent Key breaks down choosing Haynes King as the starting quarterback

Key announced King as the starting quarterback today

Today following practice, Georgia Tech head coach Brent Key announced the decision that Texas A&M transfer Haynes King is going to be the starting quarterback for the Yellow Jackets against Louisville next Friday. King has been in a battle with redshirt freshman Zach Pyron and Zach Gibson since King's arrival this offseason and after a close battle, King won and will take the field against the Cardinals next Friday. 

So how did Key come to this decision? He spoke about that after practice today as well: 

"I met with both quarterbacks yesterday, I met with Zach (Pyron) and Haynes (King), I met with them myself and informed them of the decision that I made as far as who the starting quarterback will be and Haynes King is going to be the starting quarterback moving into the first game vs Louisville. It is time to turn the page with that and get the team focused and prepped for Louisville. I had a chance to meet with both of those guys yesterday, with no one else, it wasn't a staff, it was myself and individual player only and talked with them in depth about where they are at, where they stand, and what they need to continue to work on and informed them of my decision and that I would be telling you guys today, that way we can move on as a full team and get ready to start playing games. I had a meeting this morning with leadership and told the leadership, yes, both Haynes and Zach were both in there, and I informed them and made sure that they understood why and why we are now moving forward.

It was a good meeting. Both quarterbacks had outstanding camps, this evaluation has been going on since January 6th. To have three quarterbacks that have started college football games on your team is a super positive to have and there are going to be points in time this year where those quarterbacks will all play but moving forward for now, Haynes King is the starter and we are moving on now."

"We felt that he gives us the best chance to go out in game one and play the game we want to play."

Haynes King was named the starting quarterback for Georgia Tech  / Daniel Dunn-USA TODAY Sports

So why make the announcement now instead of closer to game time? Key said that today was the right time to make it: 

"It was the right time. It was the right time. No decision that I have made in the program up to this time has been made quickly. They have been very thought out and looked over and done in-depth and so that myself as a head coach, I can go to sleep at night and know that I have made the right decision at this time."

King is going to be facing a Louisville defense that is having to replace several starters from a year ago. However, the Yellow Jackets' offense is going to be in its first game with Buster Faulkner as the play caller and a new-look group of receivers. There could be some mistakes along the way with King, but that does not mean he is on a short leash and Key made sure to make that known today: 

"Haynes King is the starter. Make no bones about it. This is the decision and why I brought them both in face-to-face and man-to-man. I am not putting him on a short leash. I don't want the starting quarterback to go out there and feel like if he makes one mistake then he is going to get yanked. That is not the world we are living in and I am not doing that. Both guys are prepared and both guys will be prepared and we can win with both players. We can. The amount of improvement that those guys have made the entire offseason, spring ball, summer workouts, and to preseason camp has been outstanding and both guys have a very bright future."

While he did not win the job, Key is still very confident in Zach Pyron's future in the program: 

"Make no mistake about it: Zach Pyron is a heck of a quarterback. He is a heck of a quarterback and he is going to play good football at Georgia Tech."

Last season, King played 327 snaps according to PFF (Pro Football Focus), and finished with a grade of 53.4, a 48.6 passing grade, and a 71.6 rushing grade. He is an athletic player with a strong arm and it is a fair question to wonder if Texas A&M's offense was holding King back the last couple of seasons.

King is a former four-star recruit for the Aggies and won the starting job twice. His 2021 season was cut short after being injured early in the season. 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.

King's strengths are his mobility and his arm strength and I anticipate more passing in Faulkner's offense.

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.

In an 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.

This is one of the first big decisions that Key has made during his time as the head coach at Georgia Tech and it is a very important one. Georgia Tech has had instability at the position over the past few seasons and you can't win in college football today without good quarterback play. It will be a little bit before we can tell if the right decision has been made, but King has talent and could be a big upgrade at the position. 

Georgia Tech opens its 2023 season against Louisville next Friday at 7:30 on ESPN. 

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