Three-star Elijah King is emerging as one of the top recruits in what has been a rather strong year in Ohio. The defensive end has a couple of Big Ten official visits lined up in June with Rutgers football leading off things.
Powerful and with a good, solid twitch, King is a class of 2024 defensive end from Gahanna Lincoln (Columbus, OH). At 6-foot-6 and 230 pounds, he already has legitimate size and strength, a major reason why he has pulled in several Big Ten offers.
In June, King has several official visits lined up with potentially one more in the mix.
“I got three locked in for sure,” King told Rutgers Wire. “I (also) got to pick Indiana or Iowa.”
The three official visits for King that are definites will all take place in June:
- Rutgers (June 2-4)
- Cincinnati (June 9-11)
- Purdue (June 16-18)
Ohio State is a place that could be one to watch for King
“I mean, my main goal is to just better as a player. It would be awesome if I did (get an offer) since most of my family has gone through Ohio State,” King said.
“I just have (my) blood in the football program – my grandma’s brother played for Woody Hayes and won a national championship.”
That relative is Howard Lambert and he was a part of the 1961 Ohio State team under the legendary Hayes. That team went 8-0-1, won the Big Ten and was awarded the national championship by the Football Writers Association of America.
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In addition, King’s mother worked as a student assistant at Ohio State under former head coach John Cooper.
As for the official visits, Rutgers is the first of the visits and one of the programs after him the hardest. He singled out defensive line coach Marquise Watson for his role in recruiting him.
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“They have been in contact with me the most – really everyone has,” King said about Rutgers.
“Coach Watson came to the showcase and only came to ours for me.”
As for the relationship with Rutgers, King said it is a strong one. The three-star is intrigued by the values within the program as the Scarlet Knights head for their fourth season of a rebuild under head coach Greg Schiano.
“What stands out is the CHOP,” King said. “I’ve never heard anything like it – I love it. Their culture is amazing.”
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