This is an archived article that was published on sltrib.com in 2012, and information in the article may be outdated. It is provided only for personal research purposes and may not be reprinted.
Provo • It appears that BYU's last football scholarship for the 2012 signing class will go to Theodore King, a 6-foot-3, 250-pound defensive end from Valley Christian High School in San Jose, Calif.
King, who BYU coaches believe generally flew under the recruiting radar this season, told The Salt Lake Tribune on Monday night that he actually committed almost a week ago to BYU coach Bronco Mendenhall.
"I'm very excited about it," he said. "When they first talked to me, I didn't know a thing about BYU. But now I love it and can't wait to get there and start playing football."
King — referred to as "TK" by his friends and coaches — said the only other program of BYU's caliber that contacted him was Oregon State, but the Beavers were out of scholarships for defensive ends and tight ends and wanted him to walk on. Western Athletic Conference schools such as Fresno State and San Jose State also expressed interest.
"Those schools don't come close to having what BYU has [in terms of facilities]," he said.
King described himself as a Seventh-Day Adventist who attends church on Saturdays but can still play or practice on Saturdays. He didn't start playing organized football until his freshman year of high school, and didn't "take football seriously" until his junior year, he said, explaining why he didn't receive a lot of recruiting attention.
He was a first-team all-league and second-team all-area selection this past season.
"It took me awhile to realize I could do something in this sport," he said. "Since then I have put a lot of work into it. ... I am glad BYU found me."
Hicks commits
The Cougars also got a commitment from a high school junior over the weekend.
Keegan Hicks, a 6-foot-3, 280-pound offensive lineman at Bingham High School, said after taking part in BYU's Junior Day activities that he will become a Cougar.
Hicks is the fifth member of the class of 2013 to give a pledge to BYU, joining Brayden Kearsley (Aloha, Ore.), Trajan Pili (Las Vegas), Dallin Leavitt (Portland, Ore.) and Moroni Laulu-Pututau (Hyrum, Utah).
Twitter: @drewjay