It's officially the week of Georgia Tech's annual white and gold spring game, and this might be Atlanta's most anticipated spring game in a while. Georgia Tech is coming off a 7-6 season that saw them advance to a bowl game for the first time since 2018 and win a bowl game for the first time since 2016. They have one of the best offenses in the ACC and return most of their offensive talent. And Brent Key overhauled his defensive staff in hopes of getting better at that side of the football. There's going to be a lot to watch this Saturday afternoon, and we're going to look at each position and see what to focus on.
Let's start with the quarterback.
Georgia Tech entered the spring hot in the quarterback competition last spring, and this spring they know what they have in Haynes King. Haynes King should be one of the most returning quarterbacks in the ACC. Not only that, backup quarterback Zach Pyron is talented and experienced and should be the obvious No. 2 option for the Yellow Jackets. Limiting turnovers and hitting big plays is what we want to see from King and Pyron on Saturday, but anyone who follows the Yellow Jackets knows what these players are capable of.
King, a transfer from Texas A&M, became one of the best quarterbacks in the ACC and led the Yellow Jackets to a major upset. He led the team to its first bowl win in seven years and is poised to be one of the top quarterbacks in the ACC and the nation in 2024.
King is one of only two players in the nation (along with LSU's Jayden Daniels) with at least 2,700 passing yards, 600 rushing yards, 25 touchdown passes, and 5 touchdown runs this season in the ACC. He is one of only six people to have achieved these numbers. He led the ACC in touchdown passes and was fourth in passing yards.
According to PFF (Pro Football Focus), King ranks fourth 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). He will be a high-achieving returning quarterback.
There is one big area that Haynes King needs to improve in 2024 and that is reducing decision making and turnover. King led the ACC with 16 interceptions last season and needs to cut that number in half. Most of his turnovers came in a few games. King had 11 interceptions in four games (Bowling Green, Miami, Clemson, Boston College), and Georgia Tech went 1-3 in those games. If King can reduce his turnovers and make better decisions, he should have another special season.
Pyron started several games in the second half of the 2022 season, showcasing his young talent. His best performance came in the come-from-behind win over Virginia Tech, in which he threw for 253 yards and ran for 66 yards. Pyron had a good showing in last year's spring games and I wouldn't be surprised if they play again on Saturday. . Georgia Tech has a good starting quarterback and a good backup.
The players to keep an eye on this Saturday at quarterback will probably be two freshmen, Aaron Philo and Graham Knowles.
Philo and Knowles are early enrollees and have been practicing this spring, receiving great reviews from coaches and fellow quarterbacks.
“They're still learning the information. What I'm sharing with them is that I've been there too. I know what it's like. “What happens when we keep trying to understand what we're doing is our bodies,” quarterbacks coach Chris Weinke said. “They want to be coached. I can't think of two better guys in that room. I think that's where they are right now. The bonus of being there is that you've got two older guys, right?'' “They've been there and done it. They're kind of watching how they're doing business.'' .And I think there's a limit for those two young guys.”
Starting quarterback Haynes King said he's been picking things up quickly and learning well throughout this spring.
“They're learning the offense very quickly and they're easy to coach. They're trying to do things the right way along the line. They're doing everything the right way and they're showing up on time. They're doing it every day. I know we're playing the game.'' There are times when they have to split up some routes, but they do a good job of running the offense and just running the game.'' is the big thing right now, and I feel like they're doing a great job of picking up the offense and operating. ”
Philo and Knowles are both stepping into very good situations. King is one of the best quarterbacks in the ACC, and having an experienced and talented quarterback like Pylon as a backup is a huge advantage. Both of these QBs can learn from these two QBs and not have to worry about competing for the starting spot, which offensive coordinator Buster Faulkner believes is a big advantage.
“I think the biggest thing is I'm glad they were here in January. That's something you see all over college football and really every position now, but it starts at quarterback and the kids I came in early so I could learn the offense and compete.''The best thing for these two kids and their future is that they don't have to play right away. That way we can take them slowly and continue to grow them and give them as many reps as possible. “And I think that often gets lost in college football. The older you get, the better you get. And those kids don't have to play right now, and we don't want them to play.” We're excited to have them here. We're looking forward to watching.'' You know, we're developing them, but it's good to have them here. Because these are going to be 15 practices that you wouldn't normally get if you weren't here until the summer, and obviously they're going to be here all summer, and they're going to have a chance to compete and they're both going to have a bright future. So we're excited for them to be here.”
Both players are the future of Georgia Tech's quarterback room and will be taking the field for the first time as Yellow Jackets. I think they're players to watch on Saturday.
