Fitzgerald Star JD King Is a Beast

 

Running away with Week 4’s Top Play was Fitzgerald running back JD King. The athletic back ran wild last weekend, amassing 260 yards of total offense and four touchdowns in a fast-paced 70-42 victory over Class A Macon County.

For the Top Play, the Fitzgerald star flared out on a screen pass with a defensive tackle draped all over him. After shrugging off the lineman, King then broke a few players’ ankles, spun off a few would-be tacklers and then finished off his amazing reception by crossing the goal line with an emphatic leg kick. It was an amazing play and deservedly joins previous weeks’ winners.




lfcz-sjhKing is one of the best backs in the state of Georgia and has the stats to back it up. Last season, he rushed for 2,434 yards and 33 touchdowns, building off a strong sophomore campaign. Combining his offensive totals over the last few years, King has amassed 4,268 career rushing yards and 52 TDs.

The 2015 AJC Class AA Offensive Player of the Year is a known commodity in the state of Georgia but not in the world of “recruiting stars.” He has a reserved demeanor, and for the longest time he did not have a Twitter account. The Class of ’17 prospect rarely tweeted out his offers, and no, Bleacher Report did not make him an official commitment video. King is a throwback; he is old school, and in today’s Twitter-fueled recruiting world, that is refreshing.

Fitzgerald defensive line coach Jesse Lynch did give us a recap on King’s recruitment to provide a little more insight.

“Georgia Southern was the first to offer at a camp before his junior year. South Alabama offered during the season, and then from February until he committed at the beginning of May he added Cincinnati, Western Kentucky, Troy, Georgia State, Marshall, Central Florida, Middle Tennessee, NC State, Oklahoma State, Tulane, Florida Atlantic and Minnesota.”

King committed to Oklahoma State on May 6th when he first visited Stillwater. That visit and the connections he made with the staff made a gigantic impression on the student-athlete.

“Multiple schools from Power 5 conferences have asked if he would entertain the thought of decommiting from Oklahoma State if they were to offer, but he has been rock solid to OSU.” Lynch continued, “He and Oklahoma State RBs coach Marcus Arroyo have a really good relationship, and Stillwater has a similar feel to that of Fitzgerald.”

NUC analyst Barry Every, who has previously worked as a scout for Power 5 colleges, said this about King in his weekly game writeup: “King is the engine of the Fitzgerald offensive attack; an every down back with soft hands. He ran the ball 19 times for 156 yards and two scores. King was vital in the passing game catching four passes for 104 yards and two scores. This young man thrives on contact as he punishes defenders trying to bring him down. King goes out of his way to lower the shoulder on a defender wearing down his opponents as the game progresses. At this time he is verbally committed to Oklahoma State but it would not surprise me if some major FBS colleges in the southeast try to pry him away.”

Both Lynch and Every have made a point to tell Recruit Georgia how good King is as a track athlete. He and QB/ATH James Graham have been instrumental in several qualifying finishes at the state track meet, which comes as no surprise when you watch either burn defenders down the field.

Fitzgerald will look to continue its undefeated season this Friday as they take on Rockdale County. The Purple Hurricane are the expected favorite to win the Class AA State Championship, but they will have some tough competition moving forward. Benedictine Military School is returning a talented group of experienced athletes from last year’s club and has already knocked off teams in higher classifications. A potential matchup in the state title game could be in store for football fans across the state, but first, as the old adage goes, Fitzgerald will have to take one game at a time.

Click HERE to visit JD King’s Recruit Georgia profile. Also, be sure to LIKE us on Facebook to read more stories like this in the future.




Power Ranking Archives
COMMITMENT CENTRAL
CLASS OF 17 NEWS
CLASS OF 18 NEWS
GHSA NEWS & RANKINGS

3 Comments

  1. Pingback: Get excited for JD King – Ride Em Report

  2. Pingback: AA in brief: Should Fitzgerald, Benedictine share top ranking? | Prep Zone: High School Sports blog

  3. Reply Post By Jesse Graham

    Why haven’t JD KING been invited to an All American game? Is it because he is not a social media person.

Leave a Reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *