He arrived on campus prior to the 2014 season amid no fanfare. There was no press release. There was no message board thread. He just showed up and went to work. And that’s been David King’s modus operandi his entire Liberty career as he enters his 5th and final season. It’s pushed him from joining the team as a preferred walk-on to being on scholarship and a team captain.
King attended Riverheads High School in Stuarts Draft, Virginia where he excelled in football and basketball. Following his junior season, he earned all-district and all-county honors at tight end and defensive end. It looked like he was going to follow in both his dad’s (SMU) and grandfather’s (Virginia Tech) footsteps of playing college football.
Entering his senior year at Riverheads High, however, King was in a car accident where he broke the talus bone in his left ankle. It caused him to miss his entire senior season, and gone with it were his collegiate opportunities. Or so he thought.
The weekend prior to signing day 2014, King was offered the opportunity to take an official visit to Liberty. He did, and he was offered a preferred walk-on spot by Coach Gill. He gladly accepted.
“I’ve had my back against the wall a couple of times,” King said of his journey. “It’s taught me a lot of things about life. It taught me how to overcome adversity and get through that and build my character.”
That wasn’t the end of his journey though. He redshirted in 2014 as the Flames beat #1 Coastal Carolina to earn the program’s only trip to the FCS Playoffs where Liberty went on to beat James Madison. As a redshirt freshman in 2015, he saw very limited playing time on special teams. After starting his Liberty career at tight end, he transitioned to linebacker for the 2016 season. Over the past two seasons, he’s seen playing time in all 22 games, recording 17 tackles, including 13 last year. Those aren’t accolades that scream team captain.
“The key word is work ethic,” Defensive Coordinator Robert Wimberly said of King. “He bought in no matter what the role was. He was dedicated to it. He gave 100%. His teammates saw that each year. He’s a great energizer on the sidelines, on both offense and defense. He’s gained the respect of his teammates. I wasn’t surprised when he was elected captain just because of the character and the type of young man he’s shown to be since he’s been here in our program.”
His role is certain to increase in 2018, not only at linebacker, but also on special teams where he’s competing to be the team’s starting long snapper. And with the loss of Lucas Irons for the season, King could wind up as a starter at linebacker.
“He’s played a lot of different positions for us,” Coach Gill said. “He’s been through a whole lot of different things. He’s come a long way. He’s a great example of hard work, determination, and believing in yourself.”
This summer, King was the overwhelming choice among his teammates of the most likely to be CEO after college. His position coach, Josh Bookbinder, says that’s who he is, a CEO.
“What makes him special is his work ethic and his mind,” Bookbinder said. “He’s worked hard in the weight room. He’s gone from being a walk-on out of high school to a guy that can legitimately compete and play at a high level. I can trust him and play him on the field against people we’re playing. He is a CEO. He’s a manager. He’s all about business, and I think that’s what makes him successful.”
At times during his career at Liberty, he thought about quitting, according to Coach Gill. “He hung in there and he was rewarded as we put him on full scholarship.”
Entering his final season, King has high hopes for the team. Being one of only a handful of players still on the team that were also a part of the 2014 FCS Playoff team, he’s hopeful he can end his career by playing in a bowl game. There aren’t many people, if any at all, that could say they played on an FCS Playoff team and FBS bowl team, but King, Tolen Avery, B.J. Farrow, Lucas Irons, Corbin Jackson, and James Passmore all could accomplish that feat this year.
“(Being team captain) is a great honor,” King said. “I started as a walk-on, and I’ve worked my way up to where I am now. I wouldn’t trade it for the world.”
