THE FLATS – In recognition of being considered three of the top prospects for the 2026 National Football League Draft, Georgia Tech quarterback Haynes King (Longview, Texas/Longview H.S.), running back Jamal Haynes (Loganville, Ga./Grayson H.S.) and offensive lineman Keylan Rutledge (Royston, Ga./Franklin County H.S.) were all named to the Top 300 list for the 2026 Senior Bowl on Wednesday.
Widely known as college football’s preeminent all-star game and the first stage in the NFL Draft process, the Senior Bowl is played annually in Mobile, Ala. More than 900 NFL personnel, including key decision-makers from all 32 teams, and over 1,100 media members from around the country were on hand to watch NFL prospects work out throughout the week, culminating with the annual Senior Bowl game.
In an effort to showcase the “best of the best,” the Senior Bowl discarded its 850-player watch list in favor of a top-300 list this season.
A member of the preseason watch lists for the Maxwell (national player of the year), Davey O’Brien (nation’s top QB), Manning (QB) and Johnny Unitas Golden Arm (QB) awards, King enters the season ranked as one of the nation’s top 10 quarterbacks by ESPN.com. In just two years as a Yellow Jacket, he has moved into the top 10 in school history in passing yards (4,956 – sixth), total offense (6,280 yards – fifth), touchdown passes (41 – t-fourth) and touchdowns responsible for (62 – t-fourth).
Last season, he became the first NCAA Division I FBS player in at least 69 years (dating back to 1956) with no less than 2,000 passing yards, 10 touchdown passes and a 70% completion percentage, as well as two or fewer interceptions in a season. His 72.9% completion rate in 2024 and 37 touchdowns responsible for in 2023 are both single-season school records, while the 72.9% completion percentage in ’24 also set a new Atlantic Coast Conference record.
A member of the preseason watch lists for the Maxwell (national player of the year), Walter Camp (player of the year) and Doak Walker (nation’s top RB) awards, Haynes enters the 2025 campaign as the first Georgia Tech running back to rush for at least 900 yards in back-to-back seasons since Jonathan Dwyer in 2008 and 2009. As a junior in 2024, he amassed 1,110 total yards from scrimmage (944 rushing, 166 receiving) and 12 touchdowns (nine rushing, three receiving), en route to earning all-ACC recognition for the second-straight year.
As a sophomore in 2023, Haynes moved from wide receiver to running back during fall camp and went on to become Georgia Tech’s first 1,000-yard rusher in six years. His 1,257 all-purpose yards in ’23 (1,053 rushing, 151 receiving and 47 on kickoff returns) included 128 in the Union Home Mortgage Gasparilla Bowl versus UCF. He was named MVP of the Yellow Jackets’ 30-17 Gasparilla Bowl victory.
A second-team preseason Associated Press All-American and member of the official watch lists for the Outland Trophy (nation’s top interior lineman) and Lombardi Award (OL/DL/LB), Rutledge earned first-team all-America honors from Sports Info Solutions and first-team all-ACC recognition in 2024, his first season at Georgia Tech after transferring from Middle Tennessee. He started all 13 games at right guard in ’24, despite being unable to participate in football activities for the entire preseason after sustaining a serious foot injury in a car accident in December 2023.
Rutledge earned the all-America recognition on the strength of ranking in the top 10 offensive linemen nationally in SIS’s Total Points metric, including a top-five national ranking in run-blocking Total Points. In pass protection, he had only two “blown blocks” in nearly 400 regular-season attempts, according to SIS. He also helped anchor a Georgia Tech offensive front that ranked third nationally in fewest sacks allowed (nine in 13 games) and paved the way for the Yellow Jackets to rank second in the ACC in rushing offense (187.0 ypg).
The 77th-annual Senior Bowl is set for Jan. 31, 2026. It will be televised nationally on NFL Network.
Georgia Tech has posted consecutive winning seasons for the first time in a decade and returns five all-ACC honorees from last season’s squad, including Rutledge, an all-America guard and first-team all-conference selection. Other top performers returning for the Yellow Jackets in 2025 include all-ACC selections DT Jordan van den Berg, LB Kyle Efford, Haynes and WR Malik Rutherford, as well as two of the league’s top quarterbacks in King and redshirt freshman Aaron Philo.
The Yellow Jackets open the 2025 season on Friday, Aug. 29 at Colorado (8 p.m. ET – ESPN). The Jackets then open their home slate versus Gardner-Webb on Sept. 6 (3:30 p.m. – ACC Network Extra) before their highly anticipated ACC opener against Clemson on Sept. 13 (noon – ABC or ESPN).
2025 GEORGIA TECH FOOTBALL SEASON TICKETS
2025 Georgia Tech football season, mini-plan and single-game tickets are on sale now.
Season tickets include the best seats for the Yellow Jackets’ six-game slate at Bobby Dodd Stadium at Hyundai Field, which features Atlantic Coast Conference showdowns versus Clemson, Pitt, Syracuse and Virginia Tech. Georgia Tech season ticket members also have elevated seating priority for tickets purchased for the 2025 edition of “Clean, Old-Fashioned Hate” versus archrival Georgia, set for Nov. 28 at Mercedes-Benz Stadium.
Tech’s 2025 mini-plan includes tickets to the home opener versus Gardner-Webb, Hall of Fame Weekend against Virginia Tech and Senior Day versus Pitt. Mini-plans offer a better value than purchasing seats at single-game prices without the commitment of a full season ticket.
For more information and to purchase 2025 Georgia Tech football tickets today, visit ramblinwreck.com/footballtickets.
Full Steam Ahead
Full Steam Ahead is a $500 million fundraising initiative to achieve Georgia Tech athletics’ goal of competing for championships at the highest level in the next era of intercollegiate athletics. The initiative will fund transformative projects for Tech athletics, including renovations of Bobby Dodd Stadium at Hyundai Field (the historic home of Georgia Tech football), the Zelnak Basketball Center (the practice and training facility for Tech basketball) and O’Keefe Gymnasium (the venerable home of Yellow Jackets volleyball), as well as additional projects and initiatives to further advance Georgia Tech athletics through program wide-operational support. All members of the Georgia Tech community are invited to visit atfund.org/FullSteamAhead for full details and renderings of the renovation projects, as well as to learn about opportunities to contribute online.
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