How Knoxville Catholic's Tyreek King earned Tennessee football offer in first year as wide receiver

Knoxville Catholic fans and coaches alike know that wide receiver Tyreek King is gifted.

“Tyreek is a special, special route runner,” said Philip Shadowens, Catholic’s co-interim coach and two-time state champion at Smyrna. “He's obviously one of the best I’ve coached to this point.”

College recruiters are also aware that the sophomore wunderkind is one of the top wide receivers in Knoxville. King, who has grown to almost 5-foot-11 and gained 15 pounds of muscle to weigh 170 pounds since last year, has Power Five offers from Tennesse, Ole Miss, Arkansas, Auburn, Kentucky and Michigan State.

What makes this feat more extraordinary is that he achieved this in his first year playing the position.

“Last year, I couldn’t even run a route,” King said. "My first year being a real receiver was last year.”

King was a quarterback until his eighth-grade year. He changed positions because he knew that at 5-foot-8, he would not be tall enough to play quarterback, and that his athleticism was valuable elsewhere.

The summer before his freshman year, he honed in on the fundamentals of the wide receiver position and channeled his athletic tools.

“I worked super hard all summer,” King said. “Sweat, blood and tears put into this.”

King’s work resulted in 468 receiving yards and three touchdowns as a freshman and a successful run at 7-on-7 football camps.

Experience with the Vols 

King received his Vols offer in late March of this year after Vols wide receivers coach Kelsey Pope watched his 7-on-7 highlights. When Pope spoke with King for the first time, he expressed how impressed he was with his skills.

“He said ‘you nice,’” King said. “He said he liked my breaks and that I’m smooth.”

King said he’s met with Tennessee head coach Josh Heupel plenty of times with his most recent one happening during his July 25 visit to Tennessee.

The visit was “amazing,” and he had meaningful conversations with the coaching staff.

He answered questions about his high school football team in his talk with Heupel, and with Pope, he was compared to a former Vols receiver.

“(Pope) was really just telling me what Jalin Hyatt did and how he achieved his goals,” King said. “He said I can do the same.”

King said that he’s attracted to the Vols’ culture, loves the intensity of practices and that the coaching staff is tremendous.

“Everything about it is great,” King said. “It’s a great recruiting spot. I got my eyes laid on it.”

King has a few qualities he looks for in his college football options.

He said the offense, especially the passing game, will be important. The environment has to be welcoming and “feel like home.” The last factor he mentioned was the relationships with coaches.

He said he wants to know the staff “like the back of my hand.” It also matters to him that they are genuine and not simply saying what he wants to hear.

What makes King a special player

King said his forte is his speed and catching. He also said his leadership abilities are another strength. Catholic’s co-interim coaches Steve Matthews and Shadowens recognize how talented King is.

“Quick in and out of his breaks, excellent hands,” Matthews said. “Can really run fast, so he has a chance to be special.”

Shadowens also said King is a special player and expects to utilize him on defense in some situations.

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“He's obviously a special player," Shadowens said. "I mean, everybody in the country don't offer you if you're not a special player."

Shadowens said that when the Irish played in a national 7-on-7 camp in Hoover, Alabama, King was “as good as anybody there” among numerous players with Power 5 offers.

King knows he has areas to improve on heading into his second year as a wide receiver. With the season less than two weeks away, he is focused on leading Catholic to more wins than its 3-7 record last year.

Toyloy Brown III is a Knox News sports reporter. Email tbrown@usatoday.com. Twitter @TJ3rd_.

This article originally appeared on Knoxville News Sentinel: TSSAA football: Knoxville Catholic's Tyreek King snags Tennessee offer