The Woodrow Wilson senior picked his home school over Western Michigan. Watch video
The Rutgers University football team badly needed to upgrade its passing game.
And on Wednesday, it added a big piece.
Woodrow Wilson first-team all-state wide receiver Stanley King committed to Rutgers in a signing day reveal. He chose his home school over Western Michigan, which he visited this weekend.
Wilson quarterback Nick Kargman signed with Western Michigan in December. The draw to play four more years with Kargman was strong, but King saw a chance to make an immediate impact for a school less than two hours up the road.
Rutgers threw for 1,586 yards and just five touchdowns this season.
“I was going to be a big part to any program I went to, but I decided to stay home and be a big part of my home-state program,” said King. “They need offensive guys. I’m going to go up there, do my thing and be that offensive guy. They need height, I can bring height. I have speed, I can get vertical. I’ll be a big factor for them.”
Other South Jersey players including wide receiver Bo Melton, running back Isaih Pacheco and wide receiver Everett Wormley helped sell him on the rebuilding Scarlet Knights.
“They’ve been recruiting me since my freshman year,” said King. “I’ve had a long relationship with them, it was a long process through the years.
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“Home state, big conference. The guys there said this is a special place, we’re building something up there and I wanted to be part of the re-build.”
The 6-foot-5, 175-pound King had 79 catches for a state-leading 1,413 yards and 15 touchdowns this season. He was second in the state in catches and receiving touchdowns, while his yardage total is the second-highest in South Jersey history.
King had six games of 100-plus yards, including 233 and three TDs against Camden Catholic and a career-high 253 with three scores in a win over Seneca.
“I’m happy for him whatever he picked,” said Kargman. “He’s going to be a big-time player there. I wasn’t really trying to persuade him. I just told him what we had at Western Michigan, but I wasn’t trying to get too involved. I let him make his own decision.
“They’re getting a big, big-time receiver. He’ll play right away. He’s way more advanced than most guys going to college. He’ll make an impact with them right away. Hopefully I’ll still get to throw to him on breaks.”
King came in as a freshman when Preston Brown was named head coach. The Tigers broke a 17-year drought without a sectional title this year, and King was chosen for the Under Armour All-American game.
“He would have gone anywhere and changed the complexion of their program, but as far as immediate need he’s going to get in there and perform well and put them in a position to win a lot of football games,” said Brown. “He’s an amazing young man. He’s been as loyal as one can be. He’s competed in three sports for four years, one of the hardest-working guys you’ll ever find. He never wavered in the classroom, kept good grades all the way through.
“These are the moments you live, knowing you sending him off into the world to do great things. He’s one of those kids who always does the right thing.”
King had committed to Louisville and remained tied to them for a few weeks after coach Bobby Petrino was fired, but ultimately decided to re-open his recruitment.
Ironically, King’s brother Travon, de-committed from Rutgers and eventually signed with Temple.
Bill Evans can be reached at bevans@njadvancemedia.com or by leaving a note in the comments below. Follow him on Twitter @BEvansSports. Find the NJ.com High School Football page on Facebook by following this link.