It’s never easy being a coach’s son, especially when the entire household runs on discipline. For Georgia Tech quarterback Haynes King, the hard coaching didn’t stop when he left the field. Growing up under his father, John King, the legendary head coach at Longview High School, Haynes was pushed to be relentless. But what many don’t know is that his mother’s tough love was just as fierce, maybe even more so.

“I developed it over the years through my parents. Dad being offensive line himself, and then, you know, mom always being hard on me and my sister,” King shared on The Gramlich and Mac Lain Show. It’s a household standard that shaped King into the gritty, all-in player he is today. His dad admits that watching Haynes’ ups and downs hasn’t been easy. “He’s a great teammate and a great person,” John said, crediting much of Haynes’ success to his wife, Jodie. “All of the things added up. I’m thankful it turned out that way, and it turned out that he and his mother raised a pretty good kid.”

When asked about his mom’s influence, King smiled but kept it brief: “I can’t say too much on camera,” he joked. “But she definitely did her duty. She was hard on really everything for me and my sister. It wasn’t just me. It was both of us.” It seems that tough-love fear hasn’t fully faded, as he carefully chooses his words whenever the topic of his mom comes up.

Known as the “wrecking ball” for the Yellow Jackets, King’s hard-hitting style reflects the tough love he grew up with from his parents. Against Colorado, King took a tough hit right out of the gate when he suffered a lower-body injury.  Before leaving the field, King racked up 299 total yards and three rushing touchdowns against Colorado. He fought through it with a 45-yard game-winner just over a minute left to put them up 27–20. Now that’s what dedication actually looks like. And that’s a must in the King household.

Haynes King’s growing Heisman chatter

With Haynes King’s solid 2025 performance comes Heisman chatter. But if you expect him to hype himself up about it, think again. Haynes is all about the team. After the Clemson game, where King went 20-for-28 passing for 211 yards, King’s Heisman chatter grew louder. But he had a blunt reaction to it. “They don’t give the Heisman or personal trophies to losers,” King said. “As long as the team keeps winning, things will handle itself.”

Now that’s leader mentality. His head coach, Brent Key, didn’t hold back praising him either. “This is a kid that truly epitomizes what the Heisman Trophy is,” said Key on Sirius XM College Sports Radio. “Defensive coordinators and head coaches have to game plan for him. Who in college football elevates their team the way Haynes King does at Georgia Tech?” And those stats are impressive.

King has been a dual-threat dynamo this season. His passing stats exceeded the 200 mark after the last game against Wake Forest (243). His rushing? The season opener against Colorado says it all, where he rushed for 156 yards. King even snagged the Manning Award Quarterback of the Week honors in the Allstate Sugar Bowl’s fan poll. Now that’s a huge nod coming from fans who know football.