Countdown to Kickoff: 10 Days (Austin King)
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Austin King could be the QB of the future for IU football. Imgae: IUHoosiers.com
Written By T.J. Inman (@TJHoosierHuddle)
#10
Ten! Only ten days remaining until the Hoosiers kick off the season. The countdown has been a long and arduous grind but we must not wear down now, we are almost there! Today, we take a look at a player that IU hopes doesn’t have an impact this season but could be vital to the future of the IU football program, true freshman quarterback Austin King.
Austin King
- Height: 6’2”
- Weight: 190 pounds
- Hometown: Alpharetta, Georgia/Alpharetta High School
- Year/Position: Freshman/QB
The Indiana coaching staff made Decatur Central quarterback Tommy Stevens a high-priority and secured his commitment for the 2015 recruiting class. However, Stevens took a visit to Happy Valley and became enamored with Penn State. In early November of 2014, Stevens “flipped” his commitment from IU to the Nittany Lions and left the Hoosiers without a quarterback for the 2015 class. The coaching staff quickly turned their attention to a guy they really liked when they evaluated him earlier in the recruiting process, Alpharetta, Georgia’s Austin King. The Hoosiers have had some recent success in the state of Georgia and they thought they had a chance to bring King to Bloomington as a member of the “Crimson Army”. Their efforts were rewarded in mid-December as Austin King decommitted from North Carolina State and decided to become a Hoosier.
King was a very productive high school quarterback for the Alpharetta Raiders, passing for 2,370 yards with 20 TDs to just seven interceptions during his senior season. He was given an honorable mention distinction on the Georgia All-State team and was a two-time all-region selection. During his two years as a starter, King led Alpharetta to a 19-5 record. He played in the 2014 Blue-Grey All-American Game and was rated as the number 29 quarterback nationally by 247Sports.com.
Our recruiting expert, Nick Holmes, wrote this about King’s game, “King has a quick release and shows good arm strength, mechanics, and footwork in his senior highlights. He also gets the ball to his playmakers in stride and can make throws on the move. And although not much of a running threat, King has shown the ability to extend plays with his legs.”
IU is hoping that they are able to redshirt Austin King and allow him to compete for the starting job as a redshirt freshman. As of now, it appears Donavan Hale and Danny Cameron are the two quarterbacks that will back up Nate Sudfeld and play late in blowouts or in short-term emergency situations. The staff would like to give Zander Diamont the redshirt he was supposed to receive last season. Of course, all of this could change if Nate Sudfeld’s health becomes a storyline again. If Austin King takes advantage of his opportunity to learn and develop, his future as the IU signal-caller appears very bright.
We tick down into single digits on the Hoosier Huddle Countdown tomorrow so come back daily as we careen towards the end of our preseason coverage. The Hoosiers are nearly ready for the season so make sure you have all the information you need before kickoff by coming to Hoosier Huddle.