Georgia Tech QB Haynes Makes Manning Award Preseason Watch List

King has already been named to the Maxwell, Davey O’Brien, and the Wuerffel trophy this past offseason. He has cemented himself as one of the star players for the Yellow Jackets, especially after a stellar season. King was exceptionally accurate with the football a season ago, completing nearly 73% of his passes, which set a new ACC record and also a single-season program record for the Yellow Jackets.

King was also ranked No. 9 by ESPN in total QBR (quarterback rating) with an 82.4 rating.

The Manning Award is different from the other quarterback awards because it factors in postseason performance in its voting. It consists of a committee including both Eli and Peyton Manning, who will vote on the finalists and then who wins the award towards the end of the season.

Georgia Tech players have received preseason recognition throughout the offseason. King has been at the top of that list. One thing the team is brewing with is confidence heading into next season. It stems from taking another step forward and having back-to-back winning seasons for the first time since 2013 and 2014. King talked about the confidence disseminating from the team ahead of the 2025 season

King enters the 2025 season ranked as one of the nation’s top 10 quarterbacks by ESPN.com. In just two years as a Yellow Jacket, he has moved into the top 10 in school history in passing yards (4,956 – sixth), total offense (6,280 yards – fifth), touchdown passes (41 – t-fourth) and touchdowns responsible for (62 – t-fourth).

Last season, he became the first NCAA Division I FBS player in at least 69 years (dating back to 1956) with no less than 2,000 passing yards, 10 touchdown passes and a 70% completion percentage, as well as two or fewer interceptions in a season. His 72.9% completion rate in 2024 and 37 touchdowns responsible for in 2023 are both single-season school records, while the 72.9% completion percentage in ’24 also set a new Atlantic Coast Conference record.

King’s QBR (total quarterback rating) of 82.4 in 2024 ranks second among all members of the 2025 Manning Award watch list (behind only Baylor’s Sawyer Robertson).

“Confidence comes from all the things you do in preparation. You've been through it, you've done it, you've put your body through it. Hats off to the training staff and all the strength training and all that. The athletic trainers for getting us back onto the field, and the nutritionists for keeping us on the field with how we fuel our bodies. With confidence, it comes through preparation and what you've done and how hard you've worked. We've worked our butts off this summer, and with competition, it's only going to make you better. Iron sharpens iron.”  

With King at the helm and his exceptional talent on display, the sky is the limit for the Yellow Jackets.