NORFOLK, VA (WTKR)- Kevon King knows what it takes to win games and win championships.
It seems like it was all he did in high school, suiting up for Oscar Smith and becoming one of the most prolific ball carriers in the area. He was a big piece in the Tigers' back-to-back titles during the 2021 calendar year.
"I grew up just winning," the running back said Saturday.
Now a junior at Norfolk State, King hopes he can help the Spartans climb back to success. After getting two years of collegiate experience under his belt, he feels ready to burst onto the scene in 2024.
"As a freshman, you don't really know a lot. You're not as physical," he noted. "Once you get a couple years, lift weights and stuff, you feel very confident."
King was NSU's second-leading rusher last season, carrying the ball 90 times for 429 yards and five touchdowns. He would find the endzone on two more occasions on receiving scores. It's an effort that earned him preseason All-MEAC Second Team honors entering the campaign, so he's starting to catch the eyes of the conference.
"Coach said we need somebody to lead and I think I can do that job," King declared.
"He has the talent, but is he going to get out of his own way to reach the full potential that we know is inside of him?," added Spartans' head coach Dawson Odums. "What's inside of him, if he can reach that, he can be special."
The green and gold are coming off a 3-8 season, one that saw them drop four contests by seven points or less. With the experience and the grit that is returning, Odums believes that some of the close games can go the right way in 2024 and feels that his squad is a little bit further ahead at the beginning of August than in year's past.
"From the players we have, the extra year they've been in the weight room, the understanding of what we're doing from a playbook standpoint, we're ahead in every part of that schedule from a year ago to even two years ago," the head coach noted. "I think that's why the excitement is there."
Odums and company have been picked to finish fifth in the six-team MEAC, but that's not stopping their drive. The head coach credits his team's discipline so far during the preseason and adds that can be the "hidden ingredient" to being successful. It's just another positive step for a group he sees hungry to turn things around for the program.
"A lot of guys have been in this process and they want to taste success," Odums said. "That's the motivation. Can we be better? We know we're better, but can we go out and prove that and do that for 60 minutes and beyond? This football team is getting ready for that."
Norfolk State opens its 2024 schedule in Atlanta on August 24, facing Florida A&M in the MEAC/SWAC Challenge.
