Georgia Tech quarterback Haynes King put a massive feather in his cap during Week 3 when he willed the Yellow Jackets to a 24-21 upset of Clemson. The sixth-year veteran put on a dual-threat clinic against the Tigers, just one week after sitting out a game with a lower-body injury. With his terrific individual start to the season, and on the heels of a colossal victory for the Georgia Tech program, coach Brent Key made the case for King to enter the Heisman Trophy discussion.
The betting market agrees with Key — to an extent. King remains a dark-horse Heisman contender with +3000 odds to win college football’s top individual honor, via FanDuel Sportsbook, but his stock is on the rise after he opened the year much further down the board.
“This is a kid that truly epitomizes what the Heisman Trophy is,” Key said 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 Georgia Tech? I would like to know that. Who does, in the leadership, the intangibles, the things that people don’t see? This kid slept in the locker room for training camp for four weeks. You talk about having blinders on. The way he elevates our team, the way that our team believes in him.”
Week 4 Heisman Trophy odds
King is one of the nation’s premier running quarterbacks and put that on display in his two appearances to open the year. He ran for 156 yards and three touchdowns in a terrific opener at Colorado and was again a major weapon on the ground against Clemson with 103 yards and another score.
King also made huge strides as a passer last season and was impressive through the air against the Tigers, completing 20 of his 28 throws for 211 yards against a defense stacked with NFL prospects.
“We’re three minutes to go in that football game,” Key said. “He comes to the sideline and he said, ‘Give me the ball. Give me the ball. We’re gonna win the game. Let’s win the game with it in my hands.’ This is a team that four years ago, the score was 73-7 here at Bobby Dodd Stadium against them. And he wants the ball in his hands. He remembers that long, cold night over in Athens, Georgia, too, when he had the ball in his hand that last play. He’s on a mission.”
Team success also plays a key role in players’ Heisman campaigns, and King might get a nice boost from the Yellow Jackets. They are off to a 3-0 start and face a highly favorable schedule the rest of the way with only one ranked opponent left on the slate: No. 5 Georgia in the regular-season finale.
Read the full article here
