Georgia Tech QB King returns to start vs. Miami

Georgia Tech quarterback Haynes King returned to the lineup for Saturday’s game against No. 4 Miami on Saturday.

King, a redshirt junior, had missed Georgia Tech’s past two games, both losses, and rested over the bye last week.

He received a majority of the first-team reps in practice this week, though he took Thursday and Friday off to rest and prepare to attempt to play, sources said.

King’s status was fluid enough that sources said Georgia Tech coaches prepared multiple game plans: for King if he plays and for true freshman quarterback Aaron Philo.

Philo played significant snaps in Georgia Tech’s 21-6 loss to Virginia Tech on Oct. 26, completing 11 of 26 passes for 184 yards with an interception. He has appeared in two games for Georgia Tech this season.

With Georgia Tech coming off a bye, they are set to return to near full health at other positions.

Linebacker and leading tackler Kyle Efford also returned Saturday after missing the past two games. Tailback Chad Alexander, the team’s second-leading rusher, was also set to return after not playing against Virginia Tech.

King is one of the most productive quarterbacks in college football, as he is 12-8 in 20 starts for Georgia Tech. That includes leading the Yellow Jackets to an upset of Miami last season.

In King’s career, which stretches back to Texas A&M, he has thrown for 5,989 yards and rushed for 1,240. He has thrown for 45 touchdowns and rushed for 17 over the course of his career.

Philo is a 6-foot-2, 215-pound freshman from Bogart, Georgia, who played at Prince Avenue Christian School. He is the all-time leader in passing yards in Georgia high school football with 13,922. He broke Trevor Lawrence‘s record of 13,902 at Cartersville High School from 2014 to 2017.