By Loyd McIntosh, Sports Editor
TALLAHASSEE — Former Pinson Valley quarterback, Zach Pyron, saw extensive action for Georgia Tech during the Yellowjackets’ 41-16 loss at Florida State on Saturday, October 29.
With regular starting quarterback Jeff Sims out with an injury, Interim Georgia Tech Head Coach Brent Key, a Hewitt-Trussville High School graduate, put Pyron in at the start of the Yelllowjackets’ third offensive series.
Going into the game, Key planned on giving both of his backup quarterbacks Pyron and Zach Gibson, a sophomore from Alpharetta, a shot under center in the first quarter and decide who would complete the game under center. Pyron won the internal competition.
“We had a plan going into the game for sure. Third series, Zach Pyron was going in, we were going to play those first two series, regardless of how those first two series played out with Zach Gibson and Zach Pyron was going in on the third series regardless. At that point, we made a decision based off the time that he was in there.”
For the game, Pyron completed 18 of his 28 passes for 198 yards with no interceptions. He was responsible for two touchdowns, a 32-yard completion to E.J. Jenkins, and an 8-yard touchdown run.
In the post-game comments, Key said that the game plan for Pyron was conservative, but as he showed poise throughout the first half the coaching staff decided to open the offense up for the talented freshman.
“We were able to have a little more success moving the ball on offense in the second half with (Pyron) and got a little confidence in him as the game went on,” said Key. “He showed a lot of poise and a lot of maturity as a freshman.”
Pyron won three Alabama state championships as a quarterback for two different high schools. He led Fyffe High School to back-to-back 2A titles in 2018 and 2019, and as the starting quarterback for Pinson Valley in 2020. He also led the Indians to the state quarterfinals as a senior in 2021.
Pyron amassed 2,454 yards of total offense, 2,148 passing, and 306 rushing, racking up 24 touchdowns as a junior in 2020. Pyron earned a spot in the Elite 11 quarterback competition finals in 2021, leading Sports Illustrated to rank him No. 9 overall nationally. He was selected to play in the 2021 Alabama-Mississippi Classic All-Star Game, leading Alabama to a 20-0 win.
Key, who was named interim coach following the firing of Geoff Collins in late September, has been high on Pyron since encountering him on the recruiting trail.
“I recruited Zach and there is a special quality in a quarterback when you recruit them and they are a state champion in high school,” said Key. “You can always say it is the system or it is this or it is that but at the end of the day, he went to two different systems at two different places and won state championships, there is a competitive drive in him and that showed up today.”
Georgia Tech is currently 3-5 overall, 2-3 in ACC play. Under Key, the Yellowjackets are 2-2 including conference wins over Pittsburgh and Duke. Georgia Tech travels to Blacksburg, Virginia for a conference game with Virginia Tech on Saturday, November 5.