King studies up on MSU defense

Rivals100 class of 2016 defensive end Josh King had visited Michigan State in the past, but his trip to East Lansing on Wednesday gave the Chicagoland native a first-hand look at the Spartan's defense.

"I had been there once before, but I didn't get to see nearly as much as I did this time," King said. "I really enjoyed everything. I watched them practice and they are going to be really, really great. I got to walk on the stadium field - just things I never thought I would do."

King is ranked as the No. 50 player in the country to start off the 2016 class. At 6-foot-6 and 250 pounds his size is one of his best attributes, but the size of the Michigan State defensive line wowed him.

"Those guys are just huge and they went every rep hard, never took a rep off," King said. "The coaches were just hammering them every time if they didn't think they were going hard. I just loved it so much how they pushed them to work hard, and that's why they have a great defense. It was beautiful, to say the least."

King approached Wednesday's visit not only as a chance to evaluate the Michigan State program, but as an opportunity to pick up tips on how to develop his own game.

"I was just trying to focus as much as I can on technique," he said. "I watched them on drills, watched them in practice and watched everything trying to pick up as much as I can."

King was accompanied on the visit by his quarterback at Hinsdale South, Rob Regan. They arrived early and stayed late.

"I'd say I really got a feel for how the coaches really are," King said. "I was there all day and hung around them all day, so I got to see who they were on the field and off the field and their personalities didn't change at all. That's really what I'm looking for because I don't want to go to a college where they act all nice to your face, then you get on the field it's something totally different."

The Michigan State visit was the first he has taken to a college campus in several weeks. He plans one more Big Ten campus stop before starting his junior football campaign.

"I am going to visit OSU this Friday. That's going to be pretty cool," King said. "After that we start camp so I am going to focused on high school football and being the best high school player I can be. I was just trying to squeeze these last two (visits) in here before we start back in."

Both Michigan State and Ohio State have offered King, as have more than a dozen other programs.