As Texas A&M's 2020 recruiting class has come together rapidly in June, one of the big remaining gaps in the class was at quarterback. That gap was filled in a big way Wednesday.
Haynes King, one of the nation's top uncommitted quarterbacks, became the 16th member of #GigEmGang20 and the 10th since May 4 when he made his verbal pledge. The commitment caps a rather rapidly developing relationship between the two sides, considering King was only offered on May 1.
The 6-foot-2, 175-pound 4-star prospect is coming off a remarkable junior season where he scorched Texas 6A football en route to a state championship. He completed 184 of 266 passes (69.2%) for 3,877 yards, 42 TD and just 4 INTs. He added another 8 touchdowns on the ground, picking up 664 yards on 77 carries (8.62 YPC).
King's recruitment took off fairly late overall, but his star is certainly in the ascent. He picked the Aggies over fellow finalists Duke, Auburn and Tennessee, but also held offers from Arkansas, LSU and Ole Miss, among others.
This pairing makes a lot of sense for both sides. The Aggies get a quarterback with mastery of a pro-style offense who not only is an efficient passer, but can do damage with his feet. King, on the other hand, gets to play for one of the best developers of quarterbacks in all of college football in Jimbo Fisher. That may have been the decisive factor in King's decision.
Analysis of A&M's newest commit
This combination really does check all the boxes for both sides. From A&M's perspective, they should be delighted because King is one of the most complete high school quarterbacks I've seen. Period.
I really like King's mechanics when he's in the pocket. He keeps his knees bent, keeps his upper body closed and gets his whole body into the throw. Those solid, repeated mechanics certainly contribute to his strong completion percentage.
His arm strength looks just fine. He can make all the throws, from the deep ball to the 20-yard out. If he's making those in high school, he'll make them in college.
He's not "deceptively quick" as a runner. He's flat out fast. He runs in the 4.5-second range in the 40-yard-dash and he looks very comfortable running the football. His highlights show that he's not easy to bring down and really understands angles, as he adjusts mid-run to get the edge on the pursuing defender for a touchdown.
There's no doubt he gets intricacies of the pro-style. I really liked seeing him walk up to the line and change the play with a single glance at the defense. He knows what his guys are supposed to be doing and, perhaps even more importantly, he seems to get how defenders will react to it.
King grew a couple of inches between his sophomore and junior years, so it wouldn't be that much of a shock if he ended up being 6-foot-4. He already reminds me of Ryan Tannehill with his speed and his solid mechanics, and you'd take another Tannehill in Jimbo's system in an instant. This is a really, really good pickup for Texas A&M.