Mendocino College sophomore student-athlete, Jamar King, is attracting even more attention from major FBS programs. Early last week, National Championship winner Alabama Crimson Tide’s head coach, Nick Saban, flew to Ukiah and met with King at the Mendocino College Campus.
King played the 2014 and 2015 seasons for the Mendocino College Eagles Football Team. Led by head coach Frank Espy, he played on the defensive line for the Eagles. King was named to the Bay Valley Conference All-Conference Team both seasons. Additionally, he was named to the California Community Colleges All-California Region II First Team Defense in 2015 and named the Region’s Defensive Player of the Year.
King is a two-sport athlete at Mendocino College, playing both football and basketball for the Eagles. Although his contributions to the football program at Mendocino College are among the best. King ranked first among Bay Valley Conference players in total tackles for loss, total yards for loss, and second in total sacks for the 2015 season.
King states, “Mendocino College has been a great experience for me. Community College’s where I lived didn’t offer sports, so I though Mendocino College would be a good fit for me. I’ve met a lot of new people and made a lot of new friends. It has been the best experience I’ve ever had as an athlete; better than high school. I’ve never experienced anything like it, everyone had a strong connection on the team.”
As part of the recruiting process, prospective recruits are able to make five official visits to colleges which they might attend (one visit to each college). King was invited to visit The Ohio State University last weekend, and is arriving home from a trip to visit Alabama yesterday.
King noted, “The highlight of the trip was being able to witness and be part of the 2016 National Championship Parade. It was a great trip and an honor to be there for the Alabama Crimson Tide celebration.”
According to Mendocino College Athletic Director, Matt Gordon, “It is incredibly rare for a nationally ranked FBS program to bring a coach to a community college campus. Mendocino College is proud to have hosted the 2016 National Champion, Alabama Crimson Tide, head coach Nick Saban earlier this week. Our excellent athletic programs have always been a selling point for our students, and having an athlete at this level truly shows the outstanding ability of our coaching staff.”
Head football coach, Frank Espy, states, “Jamar has truly made a solid contribution to this team. He’s explosive, he’s physical, he’s dominating. He really set the tone out there defensively this season. If he’s making plays, we’ve got a shot, if Jamar’s out there, we know we’re going to be successful on defense. It might be a long time before we have another King walk through these doors and we’ll be sad to see him go.”
King is looking to make a verbal commitment later this week to a four-year college of his choice, however he is still undecided as of Monday (today). The first official day he can sign a written commitment is the first Wednesday in February. This day, known as National Letter of Intent Day, is February 3rd, 2016.