Georgia Tech Lands Zero Players on Preseason All-ACC Team; Haynes King Finishes 5th In Player of the Year Voting

Georgia Tech was snubbed for any All-ACC spots

Dec 22, 2023; Tampa, FL, USA; Georgia Tech Yellow Jackets quarterback Haynes King (10) warms up prior to the Gasparilla Bowl against the UCF Knights at Raymond James Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Jasen Vinlove-USA TODAY Sports / Jasen Vinlove-USA TODAY Sports

Despite returning nine players from one of the ACC's best offenses, Georgia Tech was snubbed by the media in the preseason All-ACC first team. No Yellow Jackets were voted onto the preseason team. Quarterback Haynes King did finish 5th in ACC Preseason Player of the Year voting, which was awarded to Miami quarterback Cam Ward.

Zero Yellow Jackets voted to the preseason all-ACC team.

Quarterback Haynes King received 12 votes (fifth most) for preseason ACC player of the year.

— Chad Bishop (@MrChadBishop) August 1, 2024

I think it is an oversight to not have any Yellow Jackets on the 1st team. Haynes King was one of the best quarterbacks in the conference, Jamal Haynes was one of the best all-around running backs in the ACC, Eric Singleton was one of the conference's top wideouts, and Georgia Tech had the top rushing attack in the ACC last year, but no offensive linemen were voted onto the 1st team. I think this is going to be different by the end of the year.

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).

Haynes, who made the switch from wide receiver to running back during Georgia Tech’s fall camp in 2023, became the Yellow Jackets’ first 1,000-yard rusher in five years when he ran for 1,059 yards last season. He capped four 100-yard games with a career-high 128 en route to being named MVP of the Jackets’ 30-17 win over UCF in the Union Home Mortgage Gasparilla Bowl. In addition to his 1,059 rushing yards (the 15th-most in Georgia Tech single-season history), Haynes also caught 20 passes for 151 yards and returned two kickoffs for 47 yards, totaling 1,257 all-purpose yards and earning all-ACC recognition as both a running back and all-purpose performer.

Led by King and Haynes, Georgia Tech ranked third in the ACC and among the top 35, nationally, in total offense last season (424.6 ypg). Tech led the conference/ranked 12th nationally in rushing offense (203.8 ypg). The Yellow Jackets return eight starters from last season’s prolific offense in 2024.

Georgia Tech center Weston Franklin has started 25 straight games at center for the Yellow Jackets over the last two seasons and played 884 offensive snaps in 2023. He was the anchor of an offensive front that helped pave the way for Tech to lead the Atlantic Coast Conference and rank among the top 15 teams nationally in both rushing offense (203.8 ypg – 12th nationally) and fewest sacks allowed (1.15 pg – 15th) in 2023.

Franklin is one of four starting offensive linemen and eight overall offensive starters that return for Georgia Tech in 2024. Last season, Tech ranked third in the ACC and among the top 35 nationally in total offense (424.6 ypg).

He is one of only 14 centers on the 75-player Outland Trophy watch list.

Georgia Tech kicks off the 2024 season in three weeks vs Florida State.