Georgia Tech Football Fall Camp Position Preview: Quarterbacks

Who will start at quarterback for Georgia Tech in 2023?

Author:
Jackson Caudell
Publish date:
Jul 21, 2023 12:51 PM EDT

In this story:

Fall camp is just around the corner for Georgia Tech and the first full season under Brent Key will be getting closer. There are questions this team has and position battles to be sorted out and the place to start is at the most important position on the field: quarterback.

The Georgia Tech quarterback has gone under the radar this offseason and does not get enough national attention. If Georgia Tech can have a winning season and get back to a bowl game, having good quarterback play is likely going to be a reason why.

Georgia Tech has been looking for some semblance of consistency at the quarterback position for some time now and while Jeff Sims (who transferred to Nebraska) had talent, he could not put it together during his time in Atlanta. The job this year is going to be a battle between redshirt freshman Zach Pyron, Texas A&M transfer Haynes King, and Zach Gibson. All three players have experience, but I do think that Pyron and King are the two that the competition is going to focus on.

This competition is going to be close and while both King and Pyron played well in the spring, Key declined to comment on if any of the players had separated themselves:

"You know, I could not tell because they all had the same color jersey on. I was the happiest with Brody Rhodes. To see Brody go in there and throw the deep ball and pull on the zone read, taking off, and he has made a lot of progress this spring. He doubles as our signaler lots of times in games. I thought Brody did a really nice job today"

Earlier in the spring, Key did go into detail about how close of a battle this was going to be and what he thought each quarterback brought to the table:

"It is a competition for sure. It really is. Zach has experience playing games here and Haynes has played games somewhere else and both of the Zachs... when there is a familiarity with the guys around you, it puts the guys on offense at ease a little. It is a voice they recognize, a cadence, rhythmatic coming from that person so there is a familiarity that both of the Zachs came in with.

I think all three have strengths and all three have things they need to continue to work on but all have shown at different times and in different situations, the poise and the ability to take advantage and execute what we want them to do. Now, as the situational part of the game really kicks up as this week continues to go on and through the scrimmage on Saturday, that is where you really have to see the command really start to take place and then as tempo starts to increase, increase, and increase, it is the ability to play at a high level and tempo on offense and play really fast but that quarterback have that command and control of the offense and keep them calm while they are doing it.

I have been pleased with the progression of all three of them. Buster (Faulkner) does a really good job... it was the first time on the headsets hearing him call an entire game so that was good for me to hear how he calls it, the flow of the game and how he really adapts how he calls it with each quarterback that is in there so it puts them in position to make plays and take advantage of our strengths and make sure we stay away and kind of disguise and hide some of our inefficiencies."

Zach Pyron at spring game — Who will be Georgia Tech's starting quarterback in 2023?
Georgia Tech Athletics

During the spring game, Pyron was 11-16 for 153 yards and one touchdown. King was 13-22 for 276 yards and three touchdowns.

Both players had some real highlight plays and looked in command of the offense. It was encouraging to see, but it was just a spring game and all three quarterbacks still have to show consistency.

Pyron was a true freshman last season and played well in his limited action. He was not expected to see the field, but he got his first chance in the game against Florida State last season. Pyron then got his first start the next week against Virginia Tech and led the Yellow Jackets to a comeback victory. He was then hurt in the second half against Miami the week and was out for the last two games against North Carolina and Georgia.

Pyron threw for 565 yards and three touchdowns and completed 60% of his passes.

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.

Haynes King at spring game — Can Haynes King win the Georgia Tech quarterback battle?
Georgia Tech Athletics

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

Gibson got his first game experience as a Yellow Jacket against Virginia, filling in for an injured Sims. He would start the next game against Florida State but only played the first couple of series. After the injury to Pyron, Gibson came in and finished the game against Miami and then led Georgia Tech to its upset of No. 13 North Carolina. He would start the season finale against Georgia and played well considering the opponent.

Gibson finished the season with 589 passing yards, three touchdowns, and three interceptions, as well as a 59.8 completion percentage.

One thing to keep in mind is that the quarterback battle may go into the season as well. Just because one guy starts in the opener against Louisville does not mean that the job is his for the rest of the season. There is always the possibility of two QB's playing during the season.

If I had to make a projection, I think that Pyron has a good chance of being the first quarterback on the field against the Cardinals on Sept. 1st in Mercedes Benz. However, this is going to be a close battle during camp and it is going to be up to the staff to determine the right leader for the offense.

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