F E A T U R E S
ever I wanted to go. On one day, six
schools
with their whole sta;s were vis-
iting me at my school. Every school that
o;ered me a scholarship came to Roo-
sevelt
to see me in person."
Even Meyer made his pitches to the
Greenbelt, Md., resident a>er he was
hired by Florida late in the recruiting
cycle. Williams had previously taken an
o.
Williams returned to Penn State in
2016 to serve as a sideline reporter for
football broadcasts. In doing so, he has
reunited with his fellow 9ve-star, as
King is also back on campus.
In May, King was brought in to serve as
a
recruiting assistant with the football
program. Part of his job is to host and
organize the on-campus visits and
maintain
daily correspondence with
many of the prospects. He draws from
his experience.
A>er all, it wasn't that long ago that he
was in their position. King, who spent
9ve NFL seasons with three teams, com-
mitted to Paterno in October of his sen-
ior year, preceding Williams' decision by
a couple of months. For the Pittsburgh
native who ranked No. 19 overall and
was the top cornerback in the country, it
was the oh season since returning to
his alma mater. Smith serves as corner-
backs coach and defensive recruiting
coordinator.
A>er Franklin was hired in 2014, Smith
was the only sta; addition who hadn't
worked for him previously. Smith had
been a high school coach at Gateway,
and when Franklin lured him away from
Temple, it brought full circle a recruiting
process that had never really stopped.
When King was being courted by for-
mer defensive coordinator Tom Bradley,
there was speculation that in exchange
for the coveted prospect's commitment,
a sta; job awaited Smith at Penn State.
Several months a>er King publicized his
decision, Smith went on the record to
clarify.
"No package deals," he said. "That was
never mentioned in this deal, and any
rumor of that is totally untrue."
Maybe, though, it was just a little bit
premature.
■
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