There are several pictures circulating social media of Georgia Tech running back Jamal Haynes holding a lit victory cigar to his mouth following the Yellow Jackets’ win Friday over Central Florida in the Gasparilla Bowl. There’s another image, perhaps more telling, posted by Haynes’ mother Annette Johnson of Haynes holding the game’s most valuable player trophy surrounded by family.
It was Johnson, after all, who joined the Atlanta Xplosion of the Independent Women’s Football League and lined up at running back while Haynes, as a youngster, watched from the sidelines. Now Haynes is coming off a breakout season at the position and an MVP performance in Tech’s first bowl victory in seven years.
“One thing people don’t realize about (Haynes) is that dude loves football more than anybody I’ve ever been around,” Tech offensive coordinator Buster Faulkner said Tuesday. “He absolutely is ate up with the game of football. He’s got that. His football IQ is off the charts for a running back.
“He’s kinda been the spark plug for us this year. We’ve obviously been able to use him in multiple ways in the backfield. He’s not a big guy, but he plays big. He breaks tackles. He’s intense. And we kind of feed off his emotions.”
Haynes (5-9, 180) rushed for 128 yards on 18 carries Friday in the win over UCF. He finished the 2023 season, his first as a collegiate running back, with 1,059 yards on 174 attempts. Haynes became the first Tech back to rush for 1,000 yards since 2017 when both TaQuon Marshall (1,146) and KirVonte Benson (1,053) accomplished the feat.
No Tech running back with at least 170 carries had averaged at least six yards per run (Haynes finished with 6.09 yards attempt) since Jonathan Dwyer averaged seven yards per carry in 2008. All that after Haynes came to Tech as a wide receiver.
“Of course you’re always gonna have a little doubt about how it’s gonna go playing-wise, but at the end of the day the coaches believed in me, they just told just put down my head and go to work. That’s exactly what I did,” Haynes said. “As far as those 1,000 yards (rushing), that’s not just my legs. That’s honestly, all to the O-line.
Faulkner, a former Parkview High quarterback, said he remembered watching Haynes star at Grayson High School. But he also recalled Haynes turning heads as a youth on the fields in Gwinnett County, the same fields Faulkner said he once played on.
On April 15, immediately following Tech’s annual spring game, Faulkner brought Haynes in and told Haynes he was now a running back. Faulkner said Haynes was back at Bobby Dodd Stadium wanting to learn more about how the position operated inside Faulkner’s offense.
Haynes, who hadn’t touched the ball in two seasons prior, had 20 carries for 164 yards in the first two games of the season. But he really came on strong in the second half by averaging 118.8 yards per game over the final five contests.
He also had 20 catches for 151 yards and a touchdown in 2023 and totaled seven scores on the ground.
“Simply just a huge shoutout to the coaches and the players in the locker room. Making that position change wasn’t easy, but with their support and their help, it became a lot easier as the season (went) on,” Haynes said. “Huge shoutout to the running back room, they always have each other’s back, we always have each other’s back no matter who’s inside the game. We already know anybody can go in there and get right.
“And shoutout to the O-line. The O-line does a phenomenal job each and every day. Day-in and day-out they work their tail off.”
In Friday’s win, Haynes helped Tech make a statement straight out of the locker room in 17-17 game. He broke off a 35-yard run, a run that nearly equaled his first half total of 40 rushing yards, on the Jackets’ first play from scrimmage in the third quarter and then ran for 12 more yards to get Tech into the red zone.
Early in the fourth quarter Haynes took the ball four straight plays to help move the ball 15 yards down the field. An 11-yard run late in the period gave the Jackets a crucial first as Tech continued its march to victory.
Tech’s trip to the Gasparilla Bowl and Tampa, Fla., included a trip to MacDill Air Force Base on Tuesday. It was there was Haynes spoke about the military background of his parents, including his mother the former running back, and what characteristics they instilled in him to be successful.
“Discipline was definitely a big factor, a big part of it. Parents in the Army are definitely a bit more strict, definitely gonna get brought up a little bit different. But it’s all due to respect. Respect is the No. 1 factor at the end of the day.”
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