Change of scenery for UConn recruit and Father Judge star Rob King
Father Judge senior and former Temple recruit Rob King III had a decision to make about his future. King, a 6-foot, 177-pound quarterback and defensive back who committed to the University of Connecticut last week, was surprised when former Temple coach Matt Rhule took the head coaching job at Baylor in December.
Father Judge senior and former Temple recruit Rob King III had a decision to make about his future.
King, a 6-foot, 177-pound quarterback and defensive back who committed to the University of Connecticut last week, was surprised when former Temple coach Matt Rhule took the head coaching job at Baylor in December.
Rhule, who coached the Owls for four seasons (also six as an assistant), also took several Temple assistant coaches to Waco, Texas, including defensive backs coach Francis Brown.
King, who was recruited as a defensive back, said it was a difficult process to go through.
"I got really close with the coaching staff, and they left last minute," said King, who threw for 1,796 yards and 20 touchdowns last season and added 539 rushing yards and seven more touchdowns on the ground.
Later, he added: "I didn't know [what to expect]. I had to find somewhere [else] just in case."
King, an all-star pick by the Inquirer and Daily News as a multipurpose player last season, said that the new coaching staff at Temple still wanted him but that he visited Stoors, Conn. last month, enjoyed the campus, and is now excited about his future with the Huskies.
"Thought I needed to get away from home and grow a little bit," he said. "I need to grow a little and get out of my comfort zone."
"It's more isolated, and everything is just UConn up there," he said. "It's almost like how Penn State is its own city, own town."
King also acknowledged that it would be difficult to leave family in Philly, especially his grandparents, Charlotte King and Robert King Sr., with whom he is very close.
He also lives with his mother, Verlene King, and his father, Robert King Jr., in Lawncrest and expects most of the family to make trips to his games at UConn.
Like Baylor and Temple, the Huskies also have a new coach in Randy Edsall, who was hired Dec. 28 and quickly acquired national infamy after pulling a scholarship offer in mid-January from Raritan (N.J.) linebacker Ryan Dickens, just shy of three weeks before signing day.
On Monday, Dickens, a 6-foot-2, 210-pound linebacker who was a recruit of UConn's previous coach, Bob Diaco, eventually landed a scholarship to Lafayette, which will be led by first-year coach John Garrett.
Father Judge coach Mike McKay said he was happy for King, who spent all four years at Judge. McKay also acknowledged the complexities of the recruiting process.
"It's difficult because you hope that wherever they go they're going to be the one that's happy," McKay said. "They ultimately have to spend the four years somewhere and find a place where they fit and what fits them."
McKay said he has heard some college coaches tell players not to choose a school based on the coach because the coach might not be there.
"Coaches will leave and take opportunities elsewhere just like kids will look at different opportunities to go to different places," he said. "There is no guarantee that coaches are going to be there for every kid for every year they're going to be there. So, for me, I just hope that [players] look for places where they're going to be happy and they fit socially, academically, and athletically and choose a place for those reasons."
In addition to King, McKay said Dom Carey, a 6-foot-2, 291-pound two-way lineman, has committed to Marist. Justin Gies, a second team all-star selection as a wide receiver, will play at Kutztown alongside Earl Volz, a 6-foot-1, 252-pound two-way lineman.
"I'm kind of glad that [King] was one that chose to go a little bit away," McKay said, "just because I know he and his family loved it there and thought it would be a great fit for them."
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