We all enjoy a good underdog QB story in college football, right? And when we talk about elite quarterbacks in the ACC, there’s one name that comes to everyone’s mind: Cade Klubnik. Clemson’s crisis man, former five-star recruit and face of the Tigers’ future. There’s no doubt that he’s got the talent, but what if we told you someone else in the conference might be silently entering the top quarterbacks’ conversation?

He might not have big numbers. He might not be the household name getting NIL deals or national promos. But when you really look at what he’s doing for Georgia Tech for the past two years, game after game, his case for being the best QB in college football gets harder to ignore. Meet Haynes King. Not a rocket-armed phenom, but he’s quietly one of the most efficient, underappreciated quarterbacks in college football. And if you understand how Brent Key deploys him, it begins to make sense.

Recently, Tom Fornelli, made an interesting statement in a recent episode of the Cover 3 Podcast, experimenting with his own quarterback rating that combines passing, rushing, sack avoidance, and anything a modern QB does. And who was at the top of his list? “I looked at Haynes King, and he had the top in this unnamed statistic so far of any quarterbacks coming back,” Fornelli said. That’s a bold claim coming from someone who’s comparing him to all returning QBs.

Tom Fornelli explains it pretty simply. Stat-wise, King was last among Power Four QBs in air yards per attempt. Yep, that sounds bad at first until you see Georgia Tech knew exactly what they were doing. They didn’t ask him to throw deep bombs, because that’s not his game. Rather, they constructed the offense around what he can do. “Nobody is asking Haynes King to throw the ball down the field because he just doesn’t have the arm strength to do it. But what Buster Faulner, Georgia Tech’s offensive coordinator, did was he built the passing offense to King’s strengths and had him making throws he could, you know, that he was capable of making,” Fornelli said. He further added, “his ability to use his legs as a rusher, but also avoiding sacks. And when he does get sacked, he barely loses any yardage. I think I can’t, I don’t have the number off the top of my head, but I think he averaged like negative 2.7 yards per sack, which is incredible….And I just think that is a kind of underappreciated kind of stat. And then also when you get to the red zone, his ability to use his legs to help finish drives. He also doesn’t turn the ball over at all. Like, he only had what two or three interceptions last year, two interceptions last season.”

What you are left with is quick, intelligent passes and high-percentage completions. 587 rushing yards and 11 rushing touchdowns last year, and you begin to get the whole picture. He’s not flashy, but he’s absolutely effective. Just consider the numbers. A 72.9% completion rate in 2024, one of the top in the nation among returning starters. He had 14 touchdowns, 2 picks, and a QBR of 78.6, which was good enough to tie for 13th nationally. And recall, he lost some time to an injury. So those stats could’ve been even higher.

But that’s where it gets really interesting, his avoiding big losses. According to Fornelli, King averaged only about minus 2.7 yards per sack. That might not sound like a big deal, but it really is. Most quarterbacks take big hits and drop way behind the chains. King? He breaks tackles, scrambles, and usually gets close to the line before going down.

What makes Haynes King so valuable to Georgia Tech’s success

When we’re discussing quarterbacks, everything’s about ‘Is this guy going to be able to play in the NFL?’ But Fornelli is turning that prism. He’s inquiring, how good is this dude currently in college? In his offense? That’s an entirely different discussion, and by that standard, Haynes King could be one of the best out there.

King isn’t going to appear on every preseason Top 10 QB list, but he’s the guy who keeps drives afloat, keeps his team out of trouble, and just quietly accumulates numbers. If you watched Georgia Tech play Georgia last season, you already know King was that guy. He passed for more than 300 yards, rushed for another 110, and posted five total touchdowns. He quite literally put the team on his back; however, they still ended up losing (42-44).

If you consider his entire 2024 season, 2,114 passing yards, 14 touchdowns, and an additional 11 on the ground, it’s no wonder Fornelli’s advanced stat put King atop the list. Georgia Tech is a winner when King is operating on all cylinders, and it’s not an accident. Haynes King may not be the most flashy QB in the game, but if you want a quarterback who’s going to guide a team, dictate tempo, and continue to make the right reads? He’s your man. Under the radar, he may be the most underrated quarterback in the nation today. And he’s got another season to prove himself, so all eyes are gonna be on him in the upcoming fall.