Georgia Tech’s surge is real. A 3-0 start, a walk-off 55-yard kick to topple No. 12 Clemson 24-21, and a debut win at Colorado that showcased a hardened, situationally tough group under Brent Key now sitting in the AP Top 25 at No. 18 after Week 3. The formula has been Haynes King’s grit, fourth-quarter execution, and a defense that held on just long enough to set up Aidan Birr’s game-winner with no timeouts against Clemson. With no ranked opponents on deck until Georgia, the runway is there, but the margin for error shrinks if the offense leans too hard on quarterback-designed runs every Saturday.

Haynes King is a sixth-year, battle-tested starter who just authored two hammer-and-tongs wins by leaning on his legs. 19 carries for a career-high 156 rushing yards and three touchdowns at Colorado, then a career-high 25 carries for 103 yards in the Clemson upset after sitting out Week 2 to recover from a lower-body injury. In other words, across the three-week opening stretch, King has shouldered 44 rushing attempts in his two starts, often as the first read in short-yardage and four-minute situations, which is both a feature and a red flag for a quarterback taking repeated, high-impact hits. Georgia Tech is on a roll, but the sustainability of this workload is the pivot point between a fun September story and a November contender.

And Josh Pate has been the voice of reason. In his latest episode of College Football Show, Pate talked about this concern. He said, “I just want to caution the rest of America that was very late to the Georgia Tech party, they’re not guaranteed anything here. And the reason I say this because that Haynes King stat? He can’t do that every week. You can’t have a quarterback do that stuff every week.” The caution pairs with the tape; against Clemson, King logged 25 of Tech’s 43 rushing attempts for 103 bruising yards while also throwing 19-for-27 for 216, a heroic profile that’s difficult to replicate for four straight months in a league that adjusts quickly to QB-run identities. Even fans noted how physically punishing King’s closeouts have been, which is why the every-week part matters in October and beyond.

Pate drilled down on the risk profile: “If their identity offensively becomes so reliant on him carrying the ball 18, 20, 22, 25 times a game…then you’re going to run into some random week where you’re playing a much inferior opponent and it’s just a slog fest in the fourth quarter. Why is that? Well, it’s because when they sat around Monday of game prep, they said, “Dude, we can’t run him like this this week.”

He capped it with a familiar warning: “So beware of the rat poison… I don’t think they can play that style every week.” That mirrors the program’s own messaging about tuning out hype, as Key and local coverage spent the offseason acknowledging external noise and emphasizing balance and durability over headlines. The schedule is manageable; the trap is believing that makes the approach frictionless.

The simple ask for Brent Key here is to keep the QB-designed run as a weapon, not the identity. Spread carries to Jamal Haynes and the backs room, keep King upright, and diversify early-down calls to avoid fourth-quarter attrition because one bad hit could force upon an offense built around the quarterback’s legs. Do that, and 11-1 is not a fantasy. With no ranked foes until Georgia, there’s a clear path to stockpile wins while the passing game sharpens and the run game decentralizes away from the QB. Tech has already proven it can close, and if the staff manages King’s volume and hits, this can be a wire-to-wire ACC contender rather than a September sensation.

Heisman drumbeat for King

Georgia Tech’s surge into the AP Top 25 after a 3-0 start has put Haynes King squarely in the national spotlight, and Brent Key is leaning into that conversation on the heels of a program-defining upset of No. 12 Clemson. When asked if he sees King as a Heisman contender, Key said, “I do. This is kid that truly epitomizes what the Heisman Trophy is. Who is college football elevates their team the way Haynes King does Georgia Tech?” Key’s public vote of confidence is evidence of how King’s value is being framed as the engine of a rapidly ascending team with real staying power.

The on-field case is building in real time, from late-game poise against Clemson to a dual-threat profile that’s earned high marks from evaluators who rank King among the ACC’s top quarterbacks. National coverage has consistently highlighted King’s toughness, leadership, and clutch execution within Key’s culture, amplifying why his candidacy resonates beyond raw box-score totals. Pair that with Georgia Tech’s momentum and visibility, and the Heisman narrative around King now has both anecdotal and competitive heft.

Sustaining the buzz will come down to wins and efficiency as the schedule unfolds, with Tech’s ranking validating that the team platform is strong enough to keep King in the race if the Jackets keep stacking results. Key’s public campaigning helps set the table, but King’s best argument remains the same. It’s about closing plays in big moments for a ranked team that just knocked off a national brand on primetime. If that script repeats, the Heisman conversation won’t just include King; it will feature him.