The Georgia Tech Yellow Jackets are battling it out with the Florida State Seminoles to start the 2024 college football season. With a lot riding on the success of starting quarterback Haynes King, word got around quickly in Dublin that Zach Pyron was set to see the field for Georgia Tech in the season opener, prompting many questions from fans and viewers alike.
Who Is Zach Pyron?
Pyron, a redshirt freshman from Pinson Valley High School, has been with the program for three seasons now. He played in a handful of games a year ago and has completed just under 60% of his passes during his career.
But Pyron is a former four-star quarterback and was an integral member of the Class of 2022 for the Jackets. Like King, Pyron possesses a solid skill set for what head coach Brent Key wants to do offensively with both a solid arm and some sound rushing ability.
As much of a heralded recruit as Pyron was for Key, King was still the pride and joy of the transfer portal class and subsequently took the reins from Pyron’s spot as the starter in 2023. The Jackets saw solid success under King and it was always seen as a tough spot for Pyron to sit for as long as he would have to in Atlanta to see some meaningful action.
Now, with the action started and Pyron popping in during a clear-cut QB-run situation, the plan may indeed be to plug Pyron in during short-yardage situations and keep King clean from hits as much as possible. That should keep Pyron happy and King healthy, a true win-win for the program.
What Happened to Haynes King?
At this point, we don’t think anything has truly happened to King and there is no word on an exact reason why Pyron is set to see the field in place of King. We’re left with speculation, as much as it sounds that obvious, it still is speculation.
King, who started all 13 games a season ago for Georgia Tech, was slated to be the face of the Yellow Jackets program in 2024. He threw for just under 3,000 yards and 27 touchdowns while rushing for over 800 yards and another 10 touchdowns a year ago.
He flashed his elite athleticism in 2023, a trait that took him to Texas A&M to start his college career back in 2020. King came in as the No. 24 ranked quarterback on our 1-134 QB rankings, thanks in large part to the promise he showcased a season ago.
So, what happened to King? The word on the street in Dublin was quiet, but it was confirmed that he would see the field when he was substituted into the game during the team’s opening drive.
As this is still a developing story, College Football Network’s coverage on the ground in Dublin will update this story as more news comes to the surface. Included in that is our post-game coverage in which coach Key will certainly address Pyron and King’s statuses.
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