Haynes King: “Whatever It Takes to Win”

Haynes King: “Whatever It Takes to Win” originally appeared on Athlon Sports.

Following a season that had not been seen since 1956, Haynes King is looking to take another step forward for the Georgia Tech Yellow Jackets. King became the first NCAA Division I player in almost 70 years with 2,000 yards passing, 10 touchdowns, 70% completion percentage and 2 or fewer interceptions in a season.

King stepped to the microphone at ACC Media Days and discussed his leadership and will to win at Georgia Tech.

Q.You had a shoulder injury and the decision afterwards was to use you as like a running-only quarterback/battering ram there. It was one of the more unique things I've ever seen in my time being around football. What went into that decision to say, I may not be able to help throw but I'll put my body on the line as a runner to help this team win?

HAYNES KING: Well, I missed the two games before that, wishing I could be out on the field but couldn't. Then Buster came and asked me, he was like, hey, would getting hit on that shoulder hurt it any worse. I was like, I don't know, we'll ask the doctor. The doctor says no, and he's like, we're going to put you in a couple running packages.

I was like, okay, whatever the team needs. I don't care if I have to hand it off or run it or just be on the field, my presence -- I have no idea, but I'll do whatever it takes.

Q.Haynes, with the turnaround in a lot of quarterbacks in the ACC, what advantage do you feel you possess over a lot of other quarterbacks in your conference?

HAYNES KING: Like Key said, with the retention that we have with the guys coming back, the camaraderie, not just with my teammates but with the coaching staff as well, just being together with those guys for at least two to three years is really big. We know each other. We know what we're good at, what we're not, things that we need to work on, get better at, and just the amount of reps and experience that we have together, it takes us to the next level, and it just is going to improve us.

Q.You played Georgia three times already and you came very close to winning against them, the overtime loss. What are you looking into the next time you play against Georgia?

HAYNES KING: Well, hopefully to beat them. I know it's a big rivalry game. Like you said, last two times have been really close, last one being eight overtimes. They're a really well-coached football team, but at the end of the day, it's to hell with Georgia, and we're trying to beat them.

Q.You had I think it was 24 carries for over 100 yards and three touchdowns against Georgia, which I think everyone watching the game said, man, this dude is a dog. But I'm curious, as a quarterback, 24 carries, is that something that you think we'll see again this year?

HAYNES KING: Whatever it takes. It might be 24 carries, 24 passes or 24 handoffs. Whatever it takes to win and move the ball I'm willing to do.

Related: Everything Georgia Tech HC Brent Key Said at ACC Media Day

Q.Can you talk about your decision to come back to Georgia Tech? You've been bought into this. This is an age we see tons of guys transferring around. We saw some here at this ACC Kickoff as well. What made your decision to come back so easy for you and what made you decide Georgia Tech was the place for you to be?

HAYNES KING: It was very simple and easy. I believe in what we're doing, what we're trying to do, and we have a really good opportunity, like we've said before, with all the people coming back, whether it's players, coaches, strength staff, nutrition. You name it. Everybody coming back, we have a great building, great people, people I trust and people that are wired the same and want to do things the right way. That just makes the decision so much easier, so much simpler when you put in stuff like that and decisions like that. It's not about chasing whatever, chasing greener grass or chasing that -- it's like I'm surrounding myself with the right kind of people, and I will be successful if I do that.

Related: Everything Georgia Tech LB Kyle Efford Said at ACC Media Days

Q.You heard your head coach say that you'll do whatever it takes. You're willing to run that ball, and when you had so many records on the line, you shifted to the run instead. We live in a selfish world. Why are you a selfless quarterback?

HAYNES KING: That's just how I was raised. My dad, he was a longtime high school football coach. He's also an offensive lineman, and I think that's why me and Key get along so well. I've got an offensive-minded mentality.

If we're running the ball and that's the way to win the ballgame, I'm going to do that. I don't care about stats. I'm not a stat guy. If you continue to win, everything else is going to fall into place, whether it's accolades, whether it's stats, stuff like that. Sometimes you're going to have to throw it for 400 or sometimes you're going to have to hand it off for 400. Like I said, as long as we're finding ways to win and moving the ball and scoring, we're going to give a lot of teams hell this year.

Related: Everything Georgia Tech WR Malik Rutherford Said at ACC Media Days

This story was originally reported by Athlon Sports on Jul 24, 2025, where it first appeared.