Dabo Swinney calls Haynes King a baller

Things didn’t work out for Haynes King at Texas A&M, but he’s been the key to Georgia Tech‘s success in 2023.

Ahead of the Yellow Jackets’ Week 11 matchup against Clemson, Tigers head coach Dabo Swinney had high praise for the former SEC starter and explained how King’s unique abilities will prove to be an issue this weekend against his squad.

“He’s a baller. Tough, gritty, loves to play. You can tell he’s a good leader. I mean, he’s a coach’s son,” Swinney said on Thursday. “He’s been around ball his whole life. And you know, he’s just got a lot of heart and grit. I mean, he’s made a ton [of plays]. He’s [the] second-leading rusher on the team, and they got some really good backs. But he can pick them up and put them down.

“He’s a fast kid, he’s not afraid to run. They run him — they don’t design run him — but he’s not afraid to pull it down and go. If you give him any type of lane, he can smell it, he can smell the grass. And if you give him any type of free lane, he’s gonna hurt you. I mean, it’s not gonna be five yards, it’s gonna be 15-25 yards. He’s got that type of ability and then he’s made some big, big plays, those receivers have made a lot of plays for him.”

On the season, King has thrown for 2,330 yards, 22 touchdowns and 10 interceptions and has the Yellow Jackets one win away from being bowl eligible for the first time since 2018.

Being a team that typically scores a ton of points, the Tigers will have their hands full with King and the rest of Georgia Tech’s offense.

“They’ve done a nice job. [King] got a good little group and the backs,” Swinney continued. “They got a lot of stuff that they’re doing but they’re gonna run the counter, they’re gonna run it with the back, and they’re running with the quarterback, they’re gonna run the stretch, you know, they’re gonna get on the edge a little bit with some of their their sweep stuff and a lot of screen game. So they force you to defend all the field and then with his legs, it puts a lot of strain on you.”

Kickoff between the Tigers and Yellow Jackets is set for Noon ET live on ABC. Clemson is a 14.5-point favorite in Death Valley.