ADVERTISEMENT

what is the plan for King?

I seem to recall reading he ran a 4.3X 40 in one or maybe two of the camps.

He isn't that fast, he would have looked fast regardless of who he is playing against. I would guess he would be in the 4.45 range to 4.55 range which is very fast. All these sub 4.4 times by 16-17 year olds just don't happen. The NFL combine would be a good indication of that where athletes have paid personal coaches to improve their starts and form to specifically improve their 40 times and a sub 4.4 is still rare by the cream of the crop.
 
He can probably outrun nearly anyone he'll face in the first three steps after he cuts. Corners and safeties will catch him in a straight line from behind but they'll have a hard time stopping him from getting open if they cant jam him. Linebackers covering him won't stand a chance of staying with him. Get him outside of or beyond the tackle box and let him do his thing.
 
All I know he leaves players in the dust in any videos I have watched of him.

King is plenty fast enough to be a threat, but those are highlight tapes and how many times do you see a kid run down from behind in his highlight tapes? He is fast, he most likely won't be the fastest guy on UK's team. He is a fast HS player, but several here seem to think he is college sprinter fast and that just isn't the case. Doesn't make a bit of difference in him being a good/great football player who can make plays in space. To play RB in the SEC, he has to get thicker like Boom did, if he is the body type that has trouble doing that he would be great in the slot or at wr.
 
we got through last year with 4 backs. this year we have 4 backs and somehow we are super thin. the point with timmons is that if all 4 go down, mahone plays, then if he goes down... timmons would be the guy. its not like we played an experienced qb against ut to end that streak. . most injuries are a week or 2. we'll be fine with 5 rb's and timmons will probably never have to worry about it but that is the 6th option.
 
we got through last year with 4 backs. this year we have 4 backs and somehow we are super thin. the point with timmons is that if all 4 go down, mahone plays, then if he goes down... timmons would be the guy. its not like we played an experienced qb against ut to end that streak. . most injuries are a week or 2. we'll be fine with 5 rb's and timmons will probably never have to worry about it but that is the 6th option.

That's one way to look at it but King looks like he could really use a redshirt to me so it's not the most ideal of situations. Also last year we were pretty thin at times. For instance Williams was suspended for the USC game, and Heard was still dealing with a high ankle sprain so Kemp and Horton got most of the snaps and I sure we all remember Kemp being carried from the field exhausted.
 
That's one way to look at it but King looks like he could really use a redshirt to me so it's not the most ideal of situations. Also last year we were pretty thin at times. For instance Williams was suspended for the USC game, and Heard was still dealing with a high ankle sprain so Kemp and Horton got most of the snaps and I sure we all remember Kemp being carried from the field exhausted.
its pointless to rs rb's. you only have so may scholly's anyway. if you waste more than 5 on rb... you better be uga or bama good at rb. if not, they are much better used on the O and D lines or at extra wr or lb'er or S. you are gonna play 4 or 5 every year anyway. if you plan on using 4 ... why worry about rs'ing a guy? rb's get injured (which will get half your rb's a rs anyway), dont pan out, or go pro. so why keep a guy around for an extra year at that position. im all for rs'ing as much as possible but rb and to some extent, wr, it really makes no sense.
 
I'm not seeing the blazing speed from King on tape that has been mentioned either. I think he has good feet, but I don't think he is near as fast as Boom in the open field. I think he will play and play a lot this year. It will be interesting to see how fast he is.

He played in Georgia and continuously ran by people.
 
What I dont understand is, Are his highlight videos a lie? Is it computer video generated inhancement speed and fake players he is blowing by? So I shouldn't be excited about him then?
 
  • Like
Reactions: Capt. Gingersnap
After watching his video I think King will join Williams, and Timmons as punt returners.
Also think if he was two inches taller UGA would have offered. King played for a annual Georgia power!
 
Eric Korem will help King get even faster. He might have been the steal of this class. The focus on Harris left the class hanging when Harris went elsewhere. King was a brand new name that surfaced after Dawson was hired. I have a feeling in three years we will be very thankful for his commitment. He may not be an every down back, but I think Dawson will use him all over the field and he could be a star on STs.

He and Allen may turnout to be the biggest names in this class no one knew before they committed.
 
Eric Korem will help King get even faster. He might have been the steal of this class. The focus on Harris left the class hanging when Harris went elsewhere. King was a brand new name that surfaced after Dawson was hired. I have a feeling in three years we will be very thankful for his commitment. He may not be an every down back, but I think Dawson will use him all over the field and he could be a star on STs.

He and Allen may turnout to be the biggest names in this class no one knew before they committed.

This staff did an awesome job in finding and landing a quality RB in King after a certain in-state player spurned UK to go elsewhere. I believe the 2015 class will turn out much better than its final class ranking would suggest.
 
This staff did an awesome job in finding and landing a quality RB in King after a certain in-state player spurned UK to go elsewhere. I believe the 2015 class will turn out much better than its final class ranking would suggest.

I hope he ends up having a better career than a certain RB from Berea whose name I refuse to mention. Going to Alabama was one thing but the way he led UK into thinking he was going there just to BS them griped me no end.
 
  • Like
Reactions: martycat1
What I dont understand is, Are his highlight videos a lie? Is it computer video generated inhancement speed and fake players he is blowing by? So I shouldn't be excited about him then?

No one is saying he isn't a good player, because he is. But highlight videos are exactly that, they are highlights of his season. But some are putting expectations on him that will be hard for him to live up to. Every school takes plan B guys, UGA took a plan B guy in the 15 class who looks great on highlights but most aren't expecting much from him, and no matter how good King ends up being, he was UK's plan B guy in the 15 class. He has all the skills to be very good, and might prove to be the steal of the class and have a better career than the back who went elsewhere. Hope for greatness as everyone does for those guys, but expecting him to be dominant from the beginning is unfair to him. Give him a chance and then expect greatness, not before he suits up. For the record his highlights look better than the running back who went to Bama.
 
I hope he ends up having a better career than a certain RB from Berea whose name I refuse to mention. Going to Alabama was one thing but the way he led UK into thinking he was going there just to BS them griped me no end.

No disrespect intended C, but I don't think that's fair. By all indications the kid was seriously considering Kentucky late in the game, but even the best staffs can be trumped by a Nick Saben full court press, or jail break blitz if you prefer..
 
no matter how good King ends up being, he was UK's plan B guy in the 15 class.

But when you're "Plan B" to the #1 ranked running back in the country, that still ain't bad.

BTW The Cincinnati and Southern Miss camps were where he supposedly ran sub 4.4 40s, but I don't know if they were manually or electronically timed. Bottom line I think he has plenty of speed for his position when you factor in his other skills.
 
No one is saying he isn't a good player, because he is. But highlight videos are exactly that, they are highlights of his season. But some are putting expectations on him that will be hard for him to live up to. Every school takes plan B guys, UGA took a plan B guy in the 15 class who looks great on highlights but most aren't expecting much from him, and no matter how good King ends up being, he was UK's plan B guy in the 15 class. He has all the skills to be very good, and might prove to be the steal of the class and have a better career than the back who went elsewhere. Hope for greatness as everyone does for those guys, but expecting him to be dominant from the beginning is unfair to him. Give him a chance and then expect greatness, not before he suits up. For the record his highlights look better than the running back who went to Bama.

True that. In the little bit of film I've seen his speed looks adequate but not at the same level as Locke or even Boom. While he needs a RS year he'll be forced to play to provide much needed depth. Anything UK gets out of him will be gravy.
 
True that. In the little bit of film I've seen his speed looks adequate but not at the same level as Locke or even Boom. While he needs a RS year he'll be forced to play to provide much needed depth. Anything UK gets out of him will be gravy.

His speed is certainly adequate. I am not sure he needs a RS, he is as big as some of the backs OM put on the field. I am not sure why his rating wasn't higher, maybe he didn't do the camp deal, I would have expected him to be at least a high 3* kid. It just seems that because a kid comes out of Georgia that he has played all season against great talent, believe me some of the teams in Georgia are not very good, but some are excellent and the best one isn't in the largest classification
 
noone is expecting him to come in and carry the load. we need him to return some kicks... carry the ball 4 or 5 times in 4 to 6 games and maybe play some coverage on special teams. he will catch a few ball out of the backfield in some sets and be expected to make guys miss. if he's really good at that then he'll get more opportunities. if he's not, then he won't. he is the 4th string rb.
 
Y'all do know that Shannon Dawson has already said that King won't be redshirting, right? Y'all do know that Shannon Dawson said that he'll also get a look at returning kicks too, right?

My only hope is that UK uses King in the same manner that Green Bay is using Randal Cobb.
 
  • Like
Reactions: 1_Cool_CAT
Y'all do know that Shannon Dawson has already said that King won't be redshirting, right? Y'all do know that Shannon Dawson said that he'll also get a look at returning kicks too, right?

My only hope is that UK uses King in the same manner that Green Bay is using Randal Cobb.

That's an interesting comparison. Cobb must be the most versatile football player in the NFL. He has returned KOs, Punts, played the slot, wideout, running back and has completed some passes. Does anyone know if he can kick field goals?

I don't expect King to do all that but he may have the potential to play multiple positions.
 
Y'all do know that Shannon Dawson has already said that King won't be redshirting, right? Y'all do know that Shannon Dawson said that he'll also get a look at returning kicks too, right?

My only hope is that UK uses King in the same manner that Green Bay is using Randal Cobb.

Never said King WILL RS, I said he SHOULD. UK's lack of depth at RB dictates he plays so might as well get out of him what they can.
 
I am excited to see him play but will they redshirt him? He looks like a kid that could play the first snap of season and his explosiveness is off the charts. Him and Boom in lineup together on certain plays could reek havoc and give D coordinator's a major migranes. If he does not redshirt do y'all think he will see significant snaps this seadon? Curious to hear some opinions on him.
I don't have inside information on this. So just an educated guess. I doubt Coach Dawson can get through a 12 game season playing only Boom, Horton, and Kemp, but it's possible. In a perfect world, it would be best to give King a redshirt year. But King will probably have to play this year. If he comes to August practices weighing more than 185 pounds and in good shape, I think he plays from week #1. But if he comes to August practices light, or if he has trouble learning the offense, they can play it by ear. They could try to go with the 3 returning running backs while giving King a crash course and holding him out for a possible redshirt unless it becomes necessary to use him this fall.
 
“We got a steal,” Scott said. “He’s phenomenal. When you think about Boom Williams, who has the ability to hit the big play every time you put the ball in his hand, think of this kid.”
 
Returning kicks I can definitely see, but I don't know where his touches will come from next yr.

RB - We have one bigger/thumper type in Horton.....so, Horton's carries are likely to remain secure....if not increase. Towles' will drop quite a bit. Boom and Kemp will likely have well over 100 carries. Sooo, there might be about 40-50 carries up for grabs for King to take in his rookie yr.

WR - Timmons and Johnson likely have the underneath stuff well in hand. So, I'll guess King will get about 15-20 rec next yr.
 
Many thought TV would RS last year, but when you have open field skills, UK needs to find ways to get you balls. Dawson will find ways to work King into the mix, I believe.
 
I agree he is not as fast as some people are making him out to be. But his speed is good.
And while his speed can be debated- questions on whether he is a good football player can not be debated.
His highschool accomplishments show he is a player.
He is a one cut guy who reads his blocks well and uses angles instead of pure speed to beat the secondary.

Dawson has said that he is going to spread people out but run the ball a lot.
That is perfect for King. He will read the blocks, make his cut than use his angles on the spread out defense.
 
He won awards in Georgia. Those highlights are against good competition. He scored like 40 TDs. He is going to be good.

He is a good player, he deserved all the publicity and awards he got, some of his competition was good and some of it wasn't, every 6A team in Georgia isn't good, they are just big. He has the potential to be very good. The thing you have to understand about Georgia HS football is, that every area has 1, maybe 2 good teams because those teams have gone into the surrounding school districts and recruited those districts best players. King's team was one that did a great job of recruiting, in fact he was one that was brought in. That doesn't mean he isn't a good player, but it means that ever team except 1 or 2 had been raided for their top 2-3 players. Lots of kids UGA signs in the past and in the future have followed the same path. One school in Atlanta doesn't even have any district lines, the entire city of Atlanta is their school district, how fair is that to everyone else?
 
I'm not seeing the blazing speed from King on tape that has been mentioned either. I think he has good feet, but I don't think he is near as fast as Boom in the open field. I think he will play and play a lot this year. It will be interesting to see how fast he is.

The staff is commenting now on his speed. He sure looked fast in his videos. Seems he is playing fast this fall.
 
King is plenty fast enough to be a threat, but those are highlight tapes and how many times do you see a kid run down from behind in his highlight tapes? He is fast, he most likely won't be the fastest guy on UK's team. He is a fast HS player, but several here seem to think he is college sprinter fast and that just isn't the case. Doesn't make a bit of difference in him being a good/great football player who can make plays in space. To play RB in the SEC, he has to get thicker like Boom did, if he is the body type that has trouble doing that he would be great in the slot or at wr.

His body looks just like Boom's.
 
Dawson thinks:

"He outruns people. Really that was the first thing that I saw with him: if you watch his highlight film he has a bunch of big runs. And he doesn't play in a league that's a bad league. So, he played in a very, very good high school program. (Colquitt County High School coach) Rush Propst has done a great job there. They won the state championship, so he's got a lot of good players. So coming from a good program, the kid has a great attitude and he outran people were three things I looked at and was like, 'Well, you know.' People look at him and he's not a very big guy, but he's put on a lot of weight since he's been here. He's playing really well for a freshman, so if he keeps that up. And the good thing about him is he's learning from a group of guys that are really doing things right. Jojo (Kemp), Mikel (Horton), Boom (Williams), (William) Mahone, all those guys do things right, and Chad (Scott) does a great job with those guys. So he's learning from a good corp group, which is good."
 
  • Like
Reactions: screwduke
Kid is really good. There were many people that were wary of UK picking him up (said he didn't have SEC size, turns out, he's as big as Boom Williams). A lot of people don't realize that the day before national signing day, he picked up offers from Auburn and Florida as well, so it's not like it was just Kentucky and West Virginia that tried to get him.
Also, his stats tell a telling story. He was "the guy" on a team that won the state championship in a very good division in Georgia (6A, if I'm not mistaken), was the Georgia Offensive Player of the Year, scored 40 TD's last season (something that very few RB's can say, the kid from Berea being one, and Soso Jamabo being the other that immediately comes to mind).
Was a USAToday All-American (3 of the 5 running backs selected for this were the top 3 ranked RB's in the class last season), and was in contention for being the national player of the year.

I think his biggest downfall (ranking-wise, which doesn't hinder a kid's ability), was that probably just didn't go camping, which is a big part of those rankings. The speed is there, and it's apparent. He shows the abilities to break tackles, he shows terrific field vision, and he has a solid idea of what angles he needs to take to get to the end-zone before the defender gets to him.
Could be a special player.
 
With only 3 scholarship backs I think they have to play him. You could argue that they will try to hold him out at the first of the season until injuries force the issue but I don't see it. The type of backs we have need to rotate 3 deep and you know we aren't going to go the entire season without at least one missing some time due to injuries so we'll need him sooner or later, might as well start working him in from the getgo.

Agreed, we are not that deep at RB. That is why King will play this season. I really hope Boom doesn't get injured. People forget, he had a serious concussion last season.
 
ADVERTISEMENT