All eyes on ‘tough as nails’ Zach Pyron as Georgia Tech looks to upset Notre Dame

Much has happened for Pyron and the Tech program since.

Brent Key was the team’s interim coach at the time. King has started all 20 games at quarterback since the start of the 2023 season. The Jackets were fighting their way to a 5-7 season in 2022 and now are in position to make consecutive bowl games for the first time in a decade.

So now all eyes are on Pyron, who easily could have bolted in this transfer-portal era after playing sparingly in 2023.

“I want to be a part of something that we’re building right now,” he said in July when asked why he stuck around.

Pyron, like quarterbacks who take that next step into college ball, was a star in high school.

First at Fyffe (Ala.) High School and then Pinson Valley (Ala.) High School, the 6-foot-3 right-handed prospect came to Tech as a much-heralded freshman. But he wasn’t expected to see much playing time behind former Tech quarterbacks Jeff Sims and Zach Gibson. In fact, Pyron didn’t appear on the program’s official depth chart until the last week of October, when he was listed as one of two third-string options.

But there was something inside the fearless freshman that allowed him to quickly rise through the ranks to earn game action less than two months into his career. Those closest to him weren’t surprised at that development.

“This kid, he’s a fiery guy, and that’s something I like in a quarterback,” trainer Kevin Brown said. “He demands his teammates to follow him. The guys kind of rally behind him and feed off his energy for sure.”

Brown is the CEO and performance coach at Xtreme Fitness and Performance in Birmingham, Alabama. He’s a longtime personal trainer for Pyron and has had a hand in the quarterback’s physical growth for years.

The word Brown continued to use when speaking of Pyron was “winner,” and that’s certainly a word that holds weight. Pyron won three state titles at two different high schools in Alabama, first for Fyffe in the state’s 2A class and then for Pinson Valley in 6A. Pyron was part of 53 victories during that span.

His accolades and on-field acumen led him to becoming a legitimate recruit. Pyron was considered a four-star prospect and originally committed to play for Baylor. He backed off that commitment six months later and eventually decided to come to Atlanta.

“Always respected him as a kid and always knew he was going to be a great player,” Ben Neill said. “I remember talking to coaches recruiting him when he was leading Fyffe before going to Pinson Valley and everybody was saying, ‘What’s this kid? What’s he got?’ People would call me about other kids. I would end up bringing the conversation to Zach. Everybody’s question was, ‘Can he do it on a big stage?’ Once he did that, once he proved it, everybody just knew it at that time. He can do it all. He can play.”

Neill is a head coach at QB Country, a quarterback development company, and has known Pyron since the quarterback was in the fifth grade. The two began to seriously develop Pyron’s game as Pyron’s prep career was beginning to take off.

A former Samford standout, Neill said he immediately noticed how Pyron treated others, how his genuine excitement and energy to meet and speak with others was undeniable. Pyron has, “an urgency and energy and intensity that you can sense pretty quickly.”

Neill added Pyron always has been willing not only to ask for advice but take that advice. Even after positive plays and positive throws, Neill said, Pyron wants to know how the outcome could be different or even better.

The coach and student also agreed to adjust Pyron’s vertical release and widened his arm slot during Pyron’s development. Neill said Pyron had a tendency to lean and put too much weight on his front foot. But, Neill said, one thing that never changed for Pyron, a former grade-school linebacker is Pyron’s mentality.

“He’s got a wide skill set. He’s a really good thrower. But he’s also tough as nails,” Neill said. “Having that tenacity, it opens up the door to make plays even when things don’t go well.”

Pyron wound up playing in three games in 2022, coming off the bench in a loss at Florida State, then starting that following week at Virginia Tech in what became his breakout performance. Pyron threw for 253 yards and a score and ran for 66 yards and that game-winning touchdown.

One week later, inside Bobby Dodd Stadium against Miami, Pyron took a hit to his left shoulder and broke his clavicle. In the summer of 2023, he went snap-for-snap with King in vying for the starting job, a job King eventually won and has held ever since.

Pyron completed just four passes for 21 yards in 2023 and ran eight times for 29 yards. This season he has been a more integral part of the offense to the tune of 17 carries for 60 yards and four touchdowns.

In last week’s win at UNC, his 7-yard completion to Malik Rutherford preceded Jamal Haynes’ 68-yard game-winning touchdown run with less than 30 seconds to play.

Pyron, who is on track to graduate from Tech in December, was on the field for just 11 plays Saturday in Chapel Hill, North Carolina. He has played only 64 snaps total since the start of 2023, whereas in the 2022 win against Virginia Tech he played 83.

The final number Saturday will be closer to the latter total than the former, but the significance of those plays will the biggest of Pyron’s career in the biggest game of Tech’s season.

“It’s a competition every day,” King said last month about being teammates with Pyron. “Week-in, week-out, (Pyron’s) gonna come in and try to be prepared just like he’s the starter. That pushes me as well, not just competition-wise, but just to be better. The conversations that we have coming off the field, during plays, whether it’s game or practice, it’s good, detailed conversations where it makes both of us better.

“Without him, I wouldn’t be here.”