More than anything else, Georgia Tech football star Haynes King is trying to be his own quarterback in 2025. However, the sixth-year signal-caller admitted that he models his game after some of the best in the game, including Lamar Jackson, Tom Brady and Patrick Mahomes.
King, who returned to Georgia Tech for his sixth college football season in the offseason, appeared virtually on the Week 3 edition of ESPN's College GameDay. When asked by Pat McAfee who he models his game after, King said he looks at “a little bit of everybody,” but singled out Jackson's running ability and Brady's leadership.
“The strengths that I have that are similar to others, that's who I try to emulate,” King said. “Certain reads and how he runs, a little bit of Lamar Jackson. Just watching him move. But then, when I was younger, how Tom Brady operated. He controlled the whole field. Everybody listened. When he stepped in the huddle, everybody shut up and was listening; they knew what was going on.”
Haynes King tells @PatMcAfeeshow he models his game after Lamar Jackson and Tom Brady 😤 pic.twitter.com/VYGp1FNIRa
— College GameDay (@CollegeGameDay) September 13, 2025
King said he admires Mahomes' leadership and ability to lead the Kansas City Chiefs in “situational football.”
King missed Georgia Tech's last game against Gardner-Webb, but is returning in Week 3 to face No. 12-ranked Clemson. In his last performance, the veteran torched Colorado on the ground in Week 1, racking up 156 rushing yards and three rushing touchdowns.
Georgia Tech seeking first win over Clemson since 2014
The win over Gardner-Webb gave the Yellow Jackets a 2-0 start for the second consecutive season. However, they now welcome Clemson to Atlanta, whom they have only beaten twice since 2010.
Clemson and Georgia Tech avoided each other in 2024, the first season of the expanded ACC. Their last meeting took place at the end of the 2023 season, which the Tigers dominated with a final score of 42-21.
Although Clemson enters the game ranked No. 12, it has yet to live up to its preseason expectations. The Tigers were unanimously expected to breeze through the ACC and end the year with a high seed in the College Football Playoffs, but have yet to look like a serious championship contender.
After suffering a 17-10 loss to Georgia in Week 1, Clemson barely snuck past Troy in Week 2. They now hit the road for the first time in the 2025 college football season as just 3.5-point favorites to beat Georgia Tech.
