Haynes King could easily be gearing up for the NFL Combine right now. He’s got the size (6-foot-3, 215 pounds), the production, and the accolades to warrant serious draft buzz.
Instead, he’s lacing up for one more game with Georgia Tech. In an era where top college players often opt out of bowl games to protect their draft stock, King is doing the opposite - and if you know anything about him, that shouldn’t come as a surprise.
“Throughout this year, we put our blood, sweat and tears into this team and I’m not one to quit and be selfish and go about my business. I always finish what I start,” King said. “That’s just kind of how I was raised.”
That mindset has defined King’s sixth-year senior season - and it’s about to carry him into one final showdown. No.
22 Georgia Tech (9-3, 6-2 ACC) will face No. 12 BYU (11-2, 8-1 Big 12) in the Pop-Tarts Bowl on Saturday at Camping World Stadium.
Kickoff is set for 3:30 p.m. ET on ABC.
King’s 2025 campaign has been nothing short of elite. He was named both ACC Offensive Player of the Year and ACC Player of the Year, and he finished inside the top 10 in Heisman voting.
His numbers back it up: third in the nation in total offense, averaging 329 yards per game. Since 2023, only four quarterbacks - Diego Pavia, Carson Beck, Joey Aguilar, and Cade Klubnik - have racked up more total offense than King’s 9,899 yards, per SportsReference.com.
“He was raised the right way and he’s wired the right way,” said Georgia Tech offensive coordinator and quarterbacks coach Chris Weinke. “He learned at a young age that you finish what you started. I never for one second thought this man wasn’t going to finish his mission, and he came here with a purpose.”
That purpose? To lead.
To compete. To elevate a program.
And in his final act as a Yellow Jacket, King gets a fitting stage - a high-stakes bowl matchup against one of the nation’s toughest freshman quarterbacks.
On the other sideline, BYU’s Bear Bachmeier has drawn comparisons to King all season. The 6-foot-2, 230-pound dual-threat quarterback made an immediate impact in Provo, earning Big 12 Offensive Freshman of the Year honors after piling up 3,235 yards of total offense and 25 total touchdowns. He helped guide the Cougars to 11 wins and a spot in the Big 12 title game - no small feat for a first-year signal caller.
Among true freshmen, only North Texas’ Drew Mestemaker, Texas State’s Brad Jackson, and Maryland’s Malik Washington posted more total offense than Bachmeier this season.
“It’s rare to see a freshman who is so unbothered by circumstances, good or bad,” said BYU offensive coordinator Aaron Roderick. “He’s had a lot of success this year.
He’s not impressed with himself. He keeps working and gets ready to play next week.
When he stumbles, he’s not a guy who dwells on it or gets discouraged by it. It’s always playing the next play.”
That even-keeled approach has earned Bachmeier respect across the field - including from Georgia Tech’s defensive coordinator Blake Gideon, who sees a shared DNA between the two quarterbacks.
“Toughness. Both of those guys carry that mentality for their team,” Gideon said.
“Whenever your quarterback is one of the toughest, if not the toughest, guys on your team, everybody else comes along, coaches included. If this guy wants to do this and stick his nose in there and get those extra few yards, then we can all do a little bit more, too.
“Whenever you watch tape, you have to remind yourself that the kid is a true freshman. He’s mature beyond his years.”
That kind of toughness isn’t just a trait - it’s a tone-setter. And Weinke, who quarterbacked Florida State to a national title in 1999 and won the Heisman in 2000 before moving on to the NFL, knows what it looks like up close.
“He [King] lives every single day the same way, and that starts with toughness. He learned that from his daddy,” Weinke said.
“I’ve had the opportunity to coach a lot of quarterbacks and train a lot of quarterbacks over the years. He’s special.
Everything he does, he does it for the people around him. It’s never about him.”
That team-first mentality has been the through-line of King’s college career - and now, as he prepares to take the field one last time in a Georgia Tech uniform, it’s still front and center.
“We’re going to go out there and have fun, but also try to go out there and execute and find ways to win,” King said. “It’s always more fun when you win.”
There’s no doubt about that. And if King has anything to say about it, the Yellow Jackets will be having a lot of fun come Saturday afternoon.