Standout QBs Haynes King, Bear Bachmeier face off in Pop-Tarts Bowl

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Haynes King should be preparing for the NFL combine right about now. His mind should be focused on draft evaluations, Wonderlic scores, hand size and where the 6-foot-3, 215-pound quarterback could wind up in the NFL Draft this upcoming April.

In a college football landscape where King’s counterparts are more willing to opt out than play in a bowl game, it would be tough to fault the Georgia Tech standout for not wanting to focus on himself and his future.

If that’s what you think, then you clearly don’t know who Haynes King is.

“Throughout this year, we put our blood, sweat and tears into this team and I’m not one to quit and be selfish and go about my business. I always finish when I start,” said King. “That’s just kind of how I was raised.”

The sixth-year senior is set to lead No. 22 Georgia Tech (9-3, 6-2 ACC) against No. 12 BYU (11-2, 8-1 Big 12) in the Pop-Tarts Bowl, which kicks off at 3:30 p.m. (ABC) on Saturday at Camping World Stadium.

King is coming off a stellar season that saw him named ACC Offensive Player of the Year and Player of the Year, while finishing in the top 10 of the Heisman Trophy voting. The redshirt senior ranked third in the country in total offense this season, averaging 329 yards per game.

Since 2023, only Diego Pavia (11,008), Carson Beck (10,821), Joey Aguilar (10,760) and Cade Klubnik (9,985) have more yards of total offense than King (9,899), according to SportsReference.com.

“He was raised the right way and he’s wired the right way,” said GT offensive coordinator and quarterbacks coach Chris Weinke. “He learned at a young age that you finish what you started. I never for one second thought this man wasn’t going to finish his mission, and he came here with a purpose.”

BYU’s Bear Bachmeier has been compared to King in many ways throughout his first season with the Cougars.

Pictures: Pop-Tarts Bowl Day for Kids

The 6-2, 230-pound dual-threat quarterback was named Big12 Offensive Freshman of the Year after finishing with 3,235 total yards of offense with 25 total touchdowns while leading the Cougars to an 11-win season and a spot in the conference championship game.

His 3,235 yards of total offense rank fourth among true freshmen this season behind North Texas’ Drew Mestemaker, Texas State’s Brad Jackson and Maryland’s Malik Washington.

“It’s rare to see a freshman who is so bothered by any circumstances, good or bad,” said BYU offensive coordinator Aaron Roderick. “He’s had a lot of success this year. He’s not impressed with himself. He keeps working and gets ready to play next week. When he stumbles, he’s not a guy who dwells on it or gets discouraged by it. It’s always playing the next play.”

Georgia Tech defensive coordinator Blake Gideon sees a lot of similarities between the two quarterbacks.

“Toughness. Both of those guys carry that mentality for their team,” said Gideon. “Whenever your quarterback is one of the toughest, if not the toughest, guys on your team, everybody else comes along, coaches included. If this guy wants to do this and stick his nose in there and get those extra few yards, then we can all do a little bit more, too.

“Whenever you watch tape, you have to remind yourself that the kid is a true freshman. He’s mature beyond his years.”

Weinke knows the value of toughness firsthand, having led Florida State to a National Championship in 1999 before winning the Heisman Trophy in 2000. He went on to play in the NFL before eventually transitioning into coaching.

“He [King] lives every single day the same way, and that starts with toughness. He learned that from his daddy,” Weinke explained. “I’ve had the opportunity to coach a lot of quarterbacks and train a lot of quarterbacks over the years. He’s special. Everything he does, he does it for the people around him. It’s never about him.”

As King prepares for his final game as a Yellow Jacket, his mentality remains the same as it has been all season long.

“We’re going to go out there and have fun, but also try to go out there and execute and find ways to win. It’s always more fun when you win,” said King.

Please find me on X, Bluesky or Instagram @osmattmurschel. Email: mmurschel@orlandosentinel.com. 

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