What to Watch For From Georgia Tech's Quarterbacks In Saturday's Spring Game

Jackson Caudell | Apr 8, 2024

Dec 22, 2023; Tampa, FL, USA; Georgia Tech Yellow Jackets quarterback Haynes King (10) warms up / Jasen Vinlove-USA TODAY Sports

It is officially the week of Georgia Tech's annual White and Gold Spring game and this might be the most anticipated spring game in some time in Atlanta. Georgia Tech is coming off of a 7-6 season in which they made their first bowl game since 2018 and won their first bowl game since 2016. They had one of the best offenses in the ACC, they brought most of that offensive talent back, and Brent Key overhauled the defensive staff in hopes of getting better on that side of the football. There are going to be plenty of things to watch this Saturday afternoon and we are going to go position-by-position and take a look at what to watch for. 

Let's start at quarterback. 

Last spring, Georgia Tech entered the spring immersed in a quarterback competition, but this spring, they know what they have in Haynes King, who is set to be one of the best-returning quarterbacks in the ACC. Not only that but backup quarterback Zach Pyron has talent and experience and should be the clear No. 2 option for the Yellow Jackets. Limiting turnovers and hitting big plays is what I would want to see from King and Pyron on Saturday, but everyone who follows the Yellow Jackets knows what those players can do.

After transferring in from Texas A&M, King turned into one of the best quarterbacks in the ACC, leading a huge turnaround for the Yellow Jackets. He led them to their first bowl win in seven years and is poised to be one of the top quarterbacks in the ACC and the country in 2024.

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.

According to PFF (Pro Football Focus), King will be the fourth-highest-graded returning quarterback in the ACC, behind SMU's Preston Stone (91.3 Overall Grade), Florida State's DJ Uiagalelei (82.0), and Miami's Cam Ward (80.7). 

There is one big area that Haynes King needs to improve upon in 2024 and that is decision making and cutting down turnovers. King led the ACC with 16 interceptions last season and he needs to cut that number in half. A lot of his turnovers came in a handful of games. King threw 11 interceptions in four games (Bowling Green, Miami, Clemson, and Boston College) and Georgia Tech was 1-3 in those games. If he cuts down on the turnovers and makes better decisions, King should have another special season. 

Pyron got to play and start some games in the latter part of the 2022 season, showcasing his young talent. His best performance came in a come-from-behind win vs Virginia Tech, a game in which he threw for 253 yards and ran for 66. Pyron had a good spring game last year and I would not be surprised if he has another on Saturday. Georgia Tech has a good starting quarterback and a good backup. 

The most intriguing players to watch this Saturday in terms of quarterbacks are probably the two freshmen, Aaron Philo and Graham Knowles. 

Philo and Knowles were early enrollees and have been practicing this spring and they have been getting great reviews from their coaches and their fellow quarterbacks:

"They're still learning the information, and what I share with them is that I've been there. I know what it feels like. So what happens is, as they continue to try to understand what we're doing, the body physically slows down. So that's where they're at right now. They're great additions to the room. They're wired the right way. They want to be great." says quarterbacks coach Chris Weinke. "They want to be coached. I couldn't ask for two better guys in that room. I think that's where they're at right now. the bonus that they have sitting in this room is you've got two older guys, right? That have been there and done it. They kind of observe how they go about their business. And I think the sky's the limit for both of those young guys"

Starting quarterback Haynes King says they are picking things up fast and learning well through this spring.

"The way they pick up on the offense pretty fast they're coachable they want to do stuff the right way they're falling in line they're doing everything the right way showing up on time they're competing every day I know at times they have to split some routes and they're doing a good job of running the offense and just operating you know and that's the big thing right now and I feel like they're they're doing a great job picking up on the offense and operating."

Both Philo and Knowles are stepping into a really good situation. King is one of the best quarterbacks in the ACC and it is a huge advantage to have an experienced and talented quarterback like Pyron as a backup. Both of these quarterbacks can learn from these two quarterbacks and not have to worry about competing for a starting job and offensive coordinator Buster Faulkner sees that as a huge advantage:

 "I think the biggest thing is it's great they got here in January right and you're seeing that across college football and now really at every position but it started with quarterbacks, with the kids enrolling early so they could learn the offense and compete for the job. The best thing for those two kids and their future is, is they don't have to play right now. So we can bring them along slowly, continue to develop them, get them as many reps as we can get them. And I think that gets lost a lot of times in college football. The older you get, the better you are, and those kids don't have to play right now and we're excited they're here. We look forward to seeing, forward to you know, developing them and it's good that they are here because these are going to be 15 practices that you normally wouldn't have if you aren't here till the summer and then obviously all summer they'll be here and have a chance to compete and they both got bright futures and we're excited they're here."

Both guys are the future of the quarterback room for Georgia Tech and they will get to step on the field for the first time as Yellow Jackets. I think they are the guys to watch on Saturday.