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DE, 6'4, 265, 4.7, 425 BP
Daphne, AL
Birthday: 4-23-81
High School: Daphne
HS Mascot: Trojans
HS Coach: Steve Savarese
HS Position: DE
HS Number: 99
AL Number: 55
Official Visits: AL, TN, FL, GA
Second Choice: Tennessee
Host During Alabama Visit: Marico Portis
Committed: 1-24-99
Roommate To Be: Santonio Beard
Academic Status: Qualified
Stats
HS Junior Season
Tackles
HS Senior Season
Tackles
Fumbles
Honors
- Four-time All-County
- All-State
- Parade All-American
- Reebok All-American
- Tampa Tribune National Top 100
- Prep Star Dream Team
- Atlanta Journal Southern Top 100
- USA Today All American
- Pigskin Preps Super South 75
- Forrest Davis All South
- SuperPrep All American
- Prep Star All American
- AL MS HS All Star Game
SBR Scouting Report
Understands how to “torque” blockers and has the hips necessary to play the correct defensive line angles. Explosive first step and quickness. Very strong upper and lower body. May be a 290-pounder capable of moving inside some day. Projects as a defensive end.
[Observation: spring practice and junior and senior game film.]
Stories
The Cottrell Connection
King |
Kenny King's father knew that he had a good one.
"When I was an eighth grader, my dad went to hear Coach Cottrell speak," recalls King. "My dad told him that that he had a 14-year old that was going to be special someday."
Soon afterwards King started getting letters from Cottrell.
"At one time, I really thought I might end up at FSU because of him," King says.
But what about Alabama?
"I grew up a big Alabama fan," he says. "It had always been my dream to play there."
After his junior season at Daphne, King was torn between Alabama and FSU. Should he follow his dream or follow his favorite coach?
"When Coach Cottrell left for Alabama, that put them over the top," King says. "They had everything that I wanted."
King and McNeil: There's No Comparison
Throughout the recruiting period fans and media tried to compare Kenny King and Blount's DeMarco McNeil.
"Comparisons between us didn't bother me," King says. "But they really didn't make sense because we're so different."
King is a cat-quick, 6'4, 265-pound defensive end known for sacking quarterbacks. McNeil, who signed with Auburn, is a 6'0, 305-pound noseguard known as a run-stopper.
"He's quick and runs to the ball well. He's a very strong inside player," King says. "I've got good speed, height, and some people say I'm more athletic than him."
Alabama signed seven defensive linemen that are at least 6'4 and run a 4.75 40 or better. Of those seven, four were consensus HS All-Americans. But some fans are still groaning because the Tide did not recruit McNeil.
"I hear that they didn't recruit him because he's more of a noseguard," King says. "DeMarco is really a great player, but I think Alabama had other needs this year. They needed defensive ends."
Regardless, King is hoping the comparisons are over.
"They made too big of a deal about it," King says. "There was a newspaper article that questioned why I made the Reebok All-American team and he didn't. Who cares? That was high school ball and that's over."
The Fightin' Gators
During his visit to Gainesville, King saw Gator fights.
"My first night there the football players got into a fight at a fraternity," King says "The next night they got into it with some basketball players."
King says the fights got out of control.
"The police had to spray mace to break them up," he says. "They were brawling."
King's not a Gator and didn't fight.
"I stayed way back. I just wanted to make it back to where I was staying."
High School Flashback
Kenny King was used to being in the offensive backfield, but not the way it happened this year in his team's state playoff game against Tuscaloosa County.
SBR
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"Our quarterback and running back were injured," King recalls. "Our offense couldn't do anything. I told Coach Savarese that I wanted to run the ball."
The Trojans were trailing 14-0. On the second series of the third quarter, Savarese took his star defensive end's advice and inserted him at fullback.
"They just gave me the ball and I ran up the middle," King says. "I was just trying to run as hard as I could. I ran over them and around them."
King ran for two touchdowns, one of 15 yards and one of three. Early in the fourth quarter, the scored was tied 14-14. But County scored late to pull off the win.
Still, the experience is something King will never forget.
"One of their players told me that if I had been in there from the beginning, we would've won," King says. "They couldn't stop me."
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