Were any Georgia Tech Players Snubbed From the All-ACC Teams?

Georgia Tech had seven players named to the All-ACC team

The All-ACC teams were released this afternoon and seven Georgia Tech players made the list. Jaylon King earned second-team All-ACC at safety, Jamal Haynes was the third-team All-ACC running back, and Haynes King, Eric Singleton Jr, Jordan Williams, Joe Fusile, and Zeek Biggers were voted as honorable mentions at their positions.

These players earned their way onto these teams, but did any of them get snubbed from being higher? 

I think so. 

Louisville quarterback Jack Plummer made the third team, but I think you can argue that Haynes King had a better season. Plummer is a good player and led Louisville to the ACC Championship, King put together a better season in my opinion. He led the ACC in passing touchdowns and he has 648 yards rushing and nine touchdowns. He helped lead one of the biggest offensive turnarounds in college football this season and that should have been enough to propel him to being the third-team quarterback. 

Should Haynes King have been the third-team quarterback on the All-ACC Team? / Nathaniel Caudell

The other snubs in my opinion were anyone on the offensive line. Yes, Fusile and Willams made the honorable mention, but where was Weston Franklin? Georgia Tech has the No. 1 rushing attack in the ACC and they are 20th in the nation in sacks allowed, yet they did not have an offensive lineman make the first, second, or third-team. 

I think you can also make the case for Jamal Haynes to be on the second team at running back. Haynes has more yards than FSU running back Trey Benson and a similar yards per carry. Benson has more touchdowns, but Haynes is similar or better in most categories. 

King intercepted four passes and recovered two fumbles for the Yellow Jackets in 2023. His four interceptions are tied for third in the ACC and 20th nationally, while his two fumble recoveries are good a tie for second in the conference and 17th in the nation. His six total takeaways are tied for tops in the ACC while his 12 passes defended rank third in the league. He also ranks third on the team at Georgia Tech with 65 tackles and has blocked a kick.

Haynes ranks fifth in the ACC in rushing yards (931), is tied for sixth in the conference with seven rushing touchdowns and his 6.0 yards per carry rank third in the league. He is the first Yellow Jacket with three 100-yard rushing games in a season since current San Francisco 49er Jordan Mason in 2019 and needs just 69 yards in Tech’s upcoming bowl game to become the program’s first 1,000-yard rusher since QB TaQuon Marshall and RB KirVonte Benson in 2017.

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.

Jamal Haynes was selected for the third team ALl-ACC running back / Nathaniel Caudell

Singleton Jr. leads all freshmen (true or redshirt) nationally with 64.2 receiving yards per game and ranks second among true freshmen nationally with six touchdown receptions. His 706 receiving yards and six touchdown catches both rank among the top 10 overall in the ACC, while his six TD receptions are just one shy of the Georgia Tech freshman record of seven, held by Calvin Johnson (2004) and Ahmarean Brown (2019).

Fusile and Williams help anchor a Georgia Tech offensive front that paved the way for the Yellow Jackets to lead the ACC in rushing offense (197.1 ypg – 16th nationally) and rank second in the conference in fewest sacks allowed (1.25 pg – 20th nationally).

The 6-foot-6, 333-pound Biggers stuffed the stat sheet with 35 tackles, four tackles for loss, a sack, three pass breakups, a fumble recovery and a blocked kick from his defensive tackle position.

In addition to being voted third-team all-ACC as a running back, Haynes earned honorable mention as an all-purpose back thanks to ranking fifth in the conference with 1,129 total yards from scrimmage (931 rushing, 151 receiving) and tied for the 15th in the league with eight total touchdowns (seven rushing, one receiving). 

Seven Georgia Tech Players Make All-ACC Teams

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