As Haynes King’s time in Atlanta and as a member of the Georgia Tech football program wanes, the inimitable quarterback is soaking in the last few days with teammates while basking in the glow of winning a pair of individual ACC awards.
King was presented two trophies Tuesday — one for being named the ACC player of the year and the other for being named the ACC offensive player of the year — during halftime of Tech’s basketball win over Marist at McCamish Pavilion. The senior was joined by Tech coach Brent Key, Tech athletic director Ryan Alpert, Tech President Angel Cabrera and the ACC’s senior vice president for football, Michael Strickland.
“It means a lot to me. It’s an honor and blessing for sure,” King said of the honors. “But I always try to include everybody that was a part of it, and that’s the teammates, my coaches, family members, all them that’s helped me get to this point. It’s not a one-man show over here at Georgia Tech.”
King, who finished 10th in Heisman Trophy voting earlier this month, arrived at McCamish Pavilion about an hour before Tuesday’s 7:30 p.m. tipoff to sign autographs. He lent his signature to footballs, hats, posters, flags, posters, flags, jerseys, mini helmets, copies of his book and even a Christmas ornament. He also posed for photos with fans.
King then watched part of the first half courtside with Cabrera before doing a brief television interview.
Then, on Wednesday, it was back to work, as King and his teammates resumed preparing to face BYU in the Pop-Tarts Bowl on Dec. 27 in Orlando, Florida.
“One, I just think it’s important to play, get as many games as you can,” King said in his reasoning for suiting up one more time as opposed to maybe turning the page toward his NFL future. “Two, I wanna play for my teammates. We’ve put time, effort, blood, sweat and tears all into this season. And it’s not over yet. I’ve said it before. I’m not one to jump ship and quit. I wanna ride it out and finish it with my brothers.”
After the Pop-Tarts Bowl, King will take part in the East-West Shrine Bowl on Jan. 27 in Frisco, Texas. But first he’ll be looking to put the final touch of paint on his masterpiece of a Tech career.
King goes into the Pop-Tarts Bowl second in Tech history for rushing touchdowns by a quarterback, total offense and for passing completions; third for rushing touchdowns, passing touchdowns and rushing yards by a quarterback; and fourth in passing yards. He is already Tech’s all-time leader for career games with 100 yards rushing and passing (eight), 300-yard passing games (eight) and games with at least one rushing and passing touchdown (17).
King’s career completion percentage, currently at 68.1%, is also a program record.
Of course, King reiterated Tuesday night that the one stat that always matters most to him is wins. A victory against BYU would give Tech (9-3) its first 10-win season since 2014.
“I’m very proud. It means a lot to me, and it means a lot to the seniors that’s turned this whole program around,” King said of that opportunity. “Some of these guys have been through three-wins seasons to five-win to seven and now — as of now — we’ve got nine and we’re hoping for a 10th. To be able to do that and see it through and not give up and transfer or change anything, the loyalty that we have in this program is pretty special. It means a lot, it means a lot to this program and also the community and the fans.”
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