THE FLATS – Highlighted by second-team safety Jaylon King (La Vergne, Tenn./Ensworth) and third-team running back Jamal Haynes (Loganville, Ga./Grayson H.S.), seven Georgia Tech football student-athletes earned a total of eight 2023 all-Atlantic Coast Conference honors, which were announced on Tuesday.
In addition to King and Haynes, quarterback Haynes King (Longview, Texas/Longview H.S.), wide receiver Eric Singleton, Jr. (Douglasville, Ga./Alexander H.S.), offensive guard Joe Fusile (Richmond Hill, Ga./Richmond Hill H.S.), offensive tackle Jordan Williams (Gainesville, Ga./Gainesville H.S.) and defensive tackle Zeek Biggers (Salisbury, N.C./West Rowan H.S.) all received honorable mention all-conference recognition, as did Haynes as an all-purpose back.
Coming back from a leg injury that cost him the final seven games of the 2022 season, Jaylon King intercepted four passes and recovered two fumbles for the Yellow Jackets in 2023. His four interceptions are tied for third in the ACC and 20th nationally, while his two fumble recoveries are good a tie for second in the conference and 17th in the nation. His six total takeaways are tied for tops in the ACC while his 12 passes defended rank third in the league. He also ranks third on the team at Georgia Tech with 65 tackles and has blocked a kick.
In his first season as a running back after being converted from wide receiver during the offseason, Haynes ranks fifth in the ACC in rushing yards (931), is tied for sixth in the conference with seven rushing touchdowns and his 6.0 yards per carry rank third in the league. He is the first Yellow Jacket with three 100-yard rushing games in a season since current San Francisco 49er Jordan Mason in 2019 and needs just 69 yards in Tech’s upcoming bowl game to become the program’s first 1,000-yard rusher since QB TaQuon Marshall and RB KirVonte Benson in 2017.
With 2,755 passing yards, 648 rushing yards, 26 touchdown passes and nine touchdown runs, Haynes King is one of only two players in the nation with at least 2,700 passing yards, 600 rushing yards, 25 touchdown passes and five touchdown runs this season (joining LSU’s Jayden Daniels), and one of only six ACC players to achieve those numbers in a regular season since 2000 (joining North Carolina’s Drake Maye – 2022, Louisville’s Lamar Jackson – 2016 and 2017, Wake Forest’s John Wolford – 2017, Virginia Tech’s Jerod Evans – 2016 and Clemson’s Deshaun Watson – 2015).
Singleton Jr. leads all freshmen (true or redshirt) nationally with 64.2 receiving yards per game and ranks second among true freshman nationally with six touchdown receptions. His 706 receiving yards and six touchdown catches both rank among the top 10 overall in the ACC, while his six TD receptions are just one shy of the Georgia Tech freshmen record of seven, held by Calvin Johnson (2004) and Ahmarean Brown (2019).
Fusile and Williams help anchor a Georgia Tech offensive front that paved the way for the Yellow Jackets to lead the ACC in rushing offense (197.1 ypg – 16th nationally) and rank second in the conference in fewest sacks allowed (1.25 pg – 20th nationally).
The 6-foot-6, 333-pound Biggers stuffed the stat sheet with 35 tackles, four tackles for loss, a sack, three pass breakups, a fumble recovery and a blocked kick from his defensive tackle position.
In addition to being voted third-team all-ACC as a running back, Haynes earned honorable mention as an all-purpose back thanks to ranking fifth in the conference with 1,129 total yards from scrimmage (931 rushing, 151 receiving) and tied for the 15th in the league with eight total touchdowns (seven rushing, one receiving).
Georgia Tech’s eight all-ACC honors are its most in a season since it had 14 all-conference honorees in 2014.
The Yellow Jackets are awaiting the announcement of their bowl destination and opponent, which be made on Sunday. For full information on bowl tickets and to sign up for priority access to tickets when they become available, visit ramblinwreck.com/bowl.
Competitive Drive Initiative Turn 2
Looking to build on the success of last year’s Competitive Drive Initiative, Georgia Tech, the Georgia Tech Foundation and Georgia Tech athletics are partnering once again to launch Competitive Drive Initiative Turn 2. CDI Turn 2 has a goal of raising $2.5 million in new gifts to the Alexander-Tharpe Fund’s Athletic Scholarship Fund by Dec. 31, and Georgia Tech and the Georgia Tech Foundation will match eligible gifts to accelerate the impact for Tech athletics. Like last year, not only will gifts to CDI Turn 2 be matched, but so will the contributor’s benefits in the way of A-T Fund giving levels and priority points. To learn more and contribute online, visit atfund.org/turn2.
For the latest information on the Georgia Tech Yellow Jackets, follow us on Twitter, Facebook, Instagram and at www.ramblinwreck.com.
