Three-star LB stops in on Dallas Cowboys

One of the most heavily recruited prospects in the state of Tennessee is Melrose High School linebacker Greg King. The 6-foot-3, 200-pounder has been fielding interest from all over the southeast and the country throughout the spring and the summer. The talented defender has his high school season on his mind, but he is already getting a taste of the NFL in the offseason.

"We've been working hard," King said. "We practice at seven in the morning. It's hard work. We get there about seven and we leave at about 12:30 or 1:00."

During the mandatory two week dead period that is required of Tennessee high school programs, King didn't take too much time off. In fact, King found a new group of players to work out with: the Dallas Cowboys.

"I was down there (in Dallas) with my partner," he said. "His parents were down there and he asked if I wanted to go down there with him. I wasn't doing anything else so I went down there."

While he was in Dallas, King made his way to the Cowboys' practice fields and before long, found himself stride for stride with some NFL icons.

"I worked out with the Cowboys a little bit," he said. "I was just up there just to be up there. I just went over there to see and I asked them if I could run and stuff and they said I could. It was real cool."

King has a distant connection to PacMan Jones but that was enough to give him the opportunity to meet several of the players.

"PacMan Jones, that's my godbrother's sister's boyfriend," he said. "I met him and we kicked it. I met Greg Ellis. I met Terrance Newman, Roy Williams, Marion Barber. I met the coach. We were just talking and stuff. It was a good experience. It was nice. They act just like normal people."

King was able to get some tips from some of the players about the process that is in front of him and about the keys to being successful.

"[PacMan Jones] was helping me," he said. "He said it sounds like I've got a good head on my shoulders. He said 'you look like a leader.' They were just saying good things about me. They gave me a little advice. He said speed can get you anything so make sure you can run your 40. It was a good experience."

Before he is able to run with the NFL for a living, King will need to perform well on the college level and he now has all kinds of offers to choose from. King doesn't even know a full count on his offer list but he does expect two more big ones in the coming days.

"My coach said he's been talking to a couple of colleges and he said they're going to send you something so just look for it," he said. "He hasn't told me who yet but I assume they're big ones."

Though King hasn't officially narrowed his list, he hopes to get that done before the season so that he can schedule his official visits. He already has an idea of where those visits may be. Tennessee, Alabama, Oklahoma and Miami are four schools that stand out to him while one more has him intrigued.

"I was thinking about trying to take a visit to Penn State," he said. "I've seen them put so many linebackers in the NFL so that could be a good place. They haven't offered yet, they want me to come to camp to see how I am in person."

As exciting as the recruiting process is, King's real focus is on his high school program and being the leader of a defense that was one of the best in the state in 2007.