Georgia Tech Football 2023 Position Review: Quarterback

Georgia Tech saw a massive upgrade at the quarterback position this season

There are not many teams in the country that can say they saw a bigger upgrade at the quarterback position than Georgia Tech. 

After years of subpar quarterback play, Georgia Tech suddenly had one of the best quarterbacks in the ACC. Haynes King, who was locked in a tight quarterback battle all the way through fall camp, turned Georgia Tech into one of the best offenses in the ACC and was named an All-ACC honorable mention. With guys like Jordan Travis, Drake Maye, Tyler Van Dyke, and others moving on to either the NFL or transferring, King could possibly be the best quarterback returning in the ACC this season. ESPN analyst David Hale talked about this very thing shortly after the season ended: 

"The ACC's QB pecking order is going to look a lot different in 2024. Not only is the league losing Jordan Travis and, almost certainly, Drake Maye -- the top two QBs in 2023 -- but with the departure of Riley Leonard and Tyler Van Dyke, the biggest name returning for next year might be Georgia Tech's Haynes King. UNC already made its move to replace Maye, adding former Texas A&M and LSU starter Max Johnson.

Florida State and Louisville would be inviting landing spots for a QB, though both programs also have younger players they'd like to see develop. NC State, too, showed flashes of its offensive potential in the latter stages of the season, and after the departure of MJ Morris, the Wolfpack will be in the market, too. Georgia Tech, Virginia Tech, Virginia, Boston College and Clemson figure to be the only schools who aren't in search of a new starter, and they might even be in the market for another veteran to provide insurance for their younger QBs."

Haynes King was one of the top quarterbacks in the ACC this season / Brett Davis-USA TODAY Sports

Haynes King is one of only two players in the nation with at least 2,700 passing yards, 600 rushing yards, 25 touchdown passes, and five touchdown runs this season (joining LSU’s Jayden Daniels), and one of only six ACC players to achieve those numbers in a regular season since 2000. He led the ACC in touchdown passes and was fourth in passing yards. Georgia Tech had one of the biggest offensive turnarounds in the country and with the majority of the starters slated to be back next season, they could be even better.

Not only was King able to give the Yellow Jackets passing attack life, but he was able to be a legitimate threat on the ground, which opened up the offense. King was second in the ACC when it came to quarterback rushing yards, behind only Thomas Castellanos. King finished as the No. 85 quarterback on PFF and had a grade of 78.3.  

One area that King has also excelled at this year has been leadership. Georgia Tech needed that at the position and for someone to set the tone for how this program was going to be under Brent Key. 

Meant to share this the other day… Never gonna fault a guy for making a business decision, but I just loved this answer from GT’s Haynes King on why playing in a bowl game means so much to him… dude is a top tier competitor. pic.twitter.com/FvfHldPfH6

— 💫🅰️♈️🆔 (@ADavidHaleJoint) December 14, 2023

As good as he was though, there are some areas in which King needs to improve next year and I don't think there is any area more than turnovers. King led the ACC with 15 interceptions and there were some games in which his decision-making hurt the team (Boston College, Bowling Green, and Miami). He was not the only reason they struggled in some of those games, but the turnovers were the only real issue the offense had all season. 

It is hard to imagine King having a bigger impact than he did this year. He was everything that Georgia Tech needed and more this year. Whether it was on the field or as a leader in the locker room, Georgia Tech knocked it out of the park by getting King and he was perfect for this program and in Buster Faulkner's offense. 

Can the follow-up to this season be as good? That is something that Georgia Tech fans will be anxious to see when the Yellow Jackets face Florida State in Ireland to kick off next season. 

ACC Football Recruiting: Three Storylines to Watch in the ACC Ahead of the Early Signing Period

Follow us on social media for the latest news on Georgia Tech Athletics!

Facebook: All Yellow Jacket

Twitter: @AllYellowJacket