Georgia Tech’s Justice Haynes: ‘I believe we can win a national championship’

CHARLOTTE, N.C. — Justice Haynes has made all the moves, on the field and off it, maintaining a championship vision at every stop.

The transfer tailback says his goals haven’t changed now that he’s at Georgia Tech.

“I’m all about winning, winning and winning, and if I didn’t believe we could win a championship, I wouldn’t have come here,” Haynes, who played two seasons at Alabama and a third at Michigan, said at ACC Football Kickoff in Charlotte.

“I believe we can win a national championship. I truly believe that, and I believe in what coach (Brent) Key is building.”

Key will be the fourth coach Haynes has played for in college, having started with Nick Saban at Alabama before Kalen DeBoer took over, and then playing under Sherrone Moore at Michigan last season.

Haynes rushed for 857 yards and 10 touchdowns for the Wolverines on 121 carries in seven games before suffering a season-ending foot injury that required surgery.

At Alabama, Haynes had 26 carries for 168 yards and two touchdowns as a freshman and 79 carries for 448 yards and seven scores as a sophomore.

Haynes noted how differences between playing in the SEC and in the Big Ten went beyond the latter’s colder weather.

“Big Ten, I would say you’re more ground and pound, get downhill,” Haynes said. “The SEC has some faster guys — it’s the speed of the game. In the SEC, you might see a (defensive end) running 22 or 23 mph.

“There were some (Big Ten) games where I didn’t play in the third or fourth quarter; at Alabama, we were in a dogfight every week. It’s a daunting schedule. You play a team not highly ranked in that league, but they’re still elite.”

Haynes, who graduated in two years from Alabama, said he has learned valuable lessons at each stop. He said he was confident coming out of the transfer portal that the Yellow Jackets’ program was the right choice for him after he decided not to enter the 2026 NFL draft.

“I had a decent NFL draft grade, but not one I felt was worthy of where I should go,” Haynes said. “I wanted to come back and do something bigger than me, leave a bigger legacy and do something that will carry on for years and be remembered.”

Haynes took counsel from his famous NFL and Georgia football father, former running back Verron Haynes, along with talking to Saban on more than one occasion.

Georgia football fans were obviously disappointed their school hasn’t been among Haynes’ stops after his decorated high school career at Blessed Trinity High School and Buford.

“I know everyone talks about how my dad and my mom went to Georgia, and we’ve got a lot of Georgia blood in my family,” Haynes said. “But my dad knew, and my mom knew, and I knew, I had my own path. We are very faith-based, and God didn’t have a stop for me there.

“I respect all those boys at Georgia. I’ve got boys that play there, and I’ve known Kirby (Smart) forever. My mom and Kirby’s sister go way back. Kirby and my dad go way back,” Haynes said. “I respect everything he’s building, but at the end of the day I’m pleased with my decision. We’re going to see them at the end of the year, and it’s going to be a great matchup.”

Haynes has longstanding relationships with Georgia Tech football staff members, too, and said that also played a role in him choosing the Yellow Jackets.

Tech running backs coach Jimmy Smith was the Cedar Grove High School coach when he connected with Haynes. Smith coached him as a seventh grader in an all-star game.

Tim McFarlin, Georgia Tech’s director of high school relations, was Haynes’ high school football coach at Blessed Trinity for two seasons.