Growing East Texas legend Haynes King bringing ‘ultra competitor’ persona to Panthers originally appeared on The Sporting News.
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Haynes King returned home to Longview, Texas, a few times in the past few months.
In January, the former Georgia Tech quarterback returned to East Texas to receive the Earl Campbell Tyler Rose Award, recognizing Division I football’s top offensive player with ties to the Lone Star State.
Last month, King returned home for the 2026 NFL Draft proceedings.
Despite passing for 2,951 yards and rushing for 953, King retained few allusions of being selected in the first round April 23 — or the second or third the next night, for that matter.
When the third day of the showcase in Pittsburgh rolled around, King, the ACC Player of the Year and Offensive Player of the Year, remained alert, but stayed busy with yard work throughout the afternoon.
The son of a high school football coach, King was raised with competitive discipline. The dual-threat quarterback understood that if he was going to get selected, it would likely be among the final selections. During the sixth round, his agent informed him that the Carolina Panthers were interested in signing a developmental QB.
After going undrafted, King quickly signed an NFL contract that included $250,000 in guaranteed money.
He was ready to move from East Texas to Charlotte, N.C., to prepare for the start of Friday’s rookie minicamp, the start of the Panthers’ offseason training activities.
Panthers could rely on QB Haynes King for short-yardage runs
Listed at 6-foot-2, 212 pounds, King’s running aggressive style leads him to seek out and deliver shoulder-to-shoulder contact. King guided the Yellow Jackets’ offense to a breakout campaign, averaging 325.3 yards per game, ranking third in the nation. His 3,920 total yards established a program single-season record.
King told KLTV.com of the playing style he is bringing to the Panthers as the offseason program’s fourth signal-caller, behind starter Bryce Young, backup Kenny Pickett, and journeyman Will Grier.
“Ultra competitor athletic, you know as a quarterback, you can handle problems with two things, either your mind or your feet,” “I feel like I can do both.”
King could develop a niche role with the Panthers, who have often struggled in short-yardage calls during Young’s three seasons. Coach Dave Canales rarely — if ever — relied on the 5-10 Young to attempt a quarterback sneak.
With King on the 53-man roster, the former first-team All-ACC performer could develop a role similar to the New Orleans Saints‘ Taysom Hill and handle those situations.