As if it isn't enough to be considered the highest-rated football prospect from Western Pennsylvania since LaVar Arrington, Justin King has raised the stakes by promising to set a precedent.
The Gateway star cornerback, a top-10 national talent, plans to graduate early from high school and enroll in the school of his choice by January.
"I did some research, weighed the pros and cons," King said, "and it looked good academically and football-wise."
Early enrollment has been a hot trend in college football the past decade, ever since Eric Zeier jumpstarted his record-setting career at Georgia in the spring of 1991. The theory is that by taking classes and participating in spring ball, the early graduate gets a head start on his high school classmates.
"I think it's going to be very beneficial," said Gateway coach Terry Smith, who is King's stepfather. "He'll get spring ball in and he'll get adjusted academically before the pressure of the season starts."
King's predecessors, particularly the quarterbacks, have had mixed results. It worked wonders for Zeier and North Carolina State's Philip Rivers, but Brock Berlin, John Rattay, A.J. Suggs and J.P. Losman transferred from their initial college of choice.
On the flip side, early enrollment helped Ohio State tailback Maurice Clarett and Southern Cal fullback Brandon Hancock earn starting jobs as true freshmen.
Smith believes it will help King stay on pace to earn his degree within three years, in case he is in position to jump to the NFL after his junior season.
"As long as he continues the way he is, he has a shot at the pros," Smith said. "We want him to be graduated by his third year. My goal is, I want him to graduate. If he's blessed and gifted enough to get to the next level, it's gravy."
For those who think King is getting carried away, consider that he has NFL size (6-foot, 180 pounds) and speed (4.4) and ranks No. 7 nationally by TheInsiders.com and No. 10 by Rivals.com. Plus, he has a 3.0 grade-point average and scored 880 on the SAT, making him qualified for freshman eligibility.
"The good thing is, there's no knocks on him," Smith said. "Justin has proven he's a good all-around player, physically and mentally."
First, King has to choose a college. He has narrowed his choices from 54 scholarship offers to five schools: Florida, Michigan, Ohio State, Penn State and Southern Cal. Many consider Michigan the front-runner, but a visit to Gainesville this weekend has been an eye-opener for King.
"It's not what I expected," he said. "It's better."
There will be cynics who decry King's decision to enroll early because he'll miss out on childhood memories. But King attended the junior-senior prom this past spring, says he won't miss running track and plans to finish college classes in time to return for Gateway's commencement ceremonies.
"It's not their business," King said. "I'm doing what's best for me. In the long run, it will help me out."
As of now, King is set to become a leader in the early enrollment parade. His level of success could determine whether the WPIAL has any followers.
