With under five months to go until the start of Georgia Tech’s football season, the quarterback position battle is heating up. Saturday’s spring game gave us our first glimpse of Texas A&M transfer Haynes King on the Flats. Zach Pyron has returned to the pocket from his injury last fall, though without the ability to get hit, and Zach Gibson showed us why he still deserves to be in this conversation. Redshirt sophomore Brody Rhodes and redshirt freshman Aiden Semo also got some snaps in, with Rhodes being the only QB Coach Brent Key mentioned in the post-game press conference.
The realistic competition seems to be between Zach Pyron and Haynes King, and after Saturday, we can move forward with a little more comfort that either option could be impressive starters. Let’s break down the spring game, what we saw last season, and what we should expect in the 2023 season.
Zach Pyron ended the White and Gold game with 1 touchdown, 153 yards with a long of 55 yards, and went 11-16 in passing attempts. These are very solid numbers for early in the season and especially with several new offensive weapons compared to last season. His numbers do come with a grain of salt, though, as he could not be hit due to his return from injury to his collarbone.
Haynes King showed some budding chemistry with his receivers as he threw for 276 yards, 3 touchdowns, and went 13-22 on passing attempts with a long of 64 yards. Of note here, was that King played for both Team Swarm and Team Wreck ‘Em, going 4-11 for 91 yards and 9-11 for 185 yards respectively. This significant difference in completions could be attributed to chemistry with the receivers on each team, especially considering the top performer of the day, Malik Rutherford, was on Team Wreck ‘Em, who he connected with for the 64-yard touchdown pass. The King-Rutherford connection put up 137 yards and 2 touchdowns on 5 completions in 6 attempts. With Rutherford looking like the WR1 option, this is an important stat line to consider. Pyron, on the other hand, was 3-5 for 22 yards with Rutherford.
When we look at the passing abilities of each quarterback last season, there are no clear differences in ability on paper. In King’s 6 games, he averaged a 116.4 passer rating and threw for 1,220 yards, 7 TDs, and 6 INTs in 104-187 attempts. Pyron averaged a 122.4 passer rating and threw for 565 yards, 3 TDs, and 3 INTs in his 3 games. Looking at just the stat lines, there are no significant differences between the two. If we look at the opponents that King faced, they were much more difficult. He kept the game against number one Alabama to 20-24, and in total faced 4 SEC teams during 2022.
If we want to look at the dual-threat ability as we saw the strength in Pyron’s running last season, we do not have much to go off of from the spring game. With Pyron on restriction from hits, he could not show much but did have 2 rushes for 15 yards, one being an 11-yard run. King was able to make 3 runs for 19 yards with a long of 11 yards.
Last season we saw Zach Pyron emerge as a raw talent in the run as he rushed for 127 yards and 2 touchdowns in 35 attempts in his 3 games. In 6 games this past season, Haynes King rushed 29 times for 83 yards and 1 touchdown, a clear difference from Pyron’s style and strategy in the pocket.
A question we have to ask is whether this clear running ability that Pyron possesses is worth risking the inexperience compared to King. The only time Pyron truly looked like a rookie was his first drive against FSU when he entered the game for Gibson. After this, he looked extremely composed, and we saw him play at a high level for his next two games until his injury.
The last category that is crucial to evaluate is the intangibles of each player. Because we have not had Haynes King around our campus or locker rooms for long, we do not have as much insight into this for him, and it will very much so be what the coaches see at practice. Zach Pyron has been here for a year and already has some rapport and familiarity with the team and has proven himself in game situations to them. King being a little older may help with leadership and experience in being that offensive captain-type role, but again, that is something we as fans will not witness directly.
What we have seen is Zach Pyron in his three games laying out his entire career on the line to get the win and score touchdowns. We saw him running and breaking tackles, falling forward, and making decisions that always seemed like must-win plays. Pyron has the winning mentality that could build the culture that we want in this new era of Georgia Tech Football.
We don’t know what Buster Faulkner’s offensive scheme will look like, but it is obvious that Pyron’s raw talent and high ceiling are worth giving him the edge in the starting job. Ultimately, though, it will come down to what the coaches see over the summer, and a lot can change between now and September 1st.
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