Even after signing more than a handful of defensive backs in the 2017 class, it was still a given that Arizona State was looking to add additional players at that position. This weekend it hosted the Long Beach (Calif.) City College duo of DeMonte King and Kobe Williams and the two left Tempe as the newest members of the team.
The 6-1 195-pound King prepped at Los Alamitos High School in Southern California, and signed with Montana State. Following a redshirt year with the Fighting Bobcats the safety attended Long Beach City College. A few teams showed interest in him prior to ASU but his visit to Tempe convinced him that this was the school he should continue his college career at.
“Arizona State has been recruiting me for a couple of weeks,” King said. “Coach Bennett and Coach Rushing were recruiting me. They said that they could see me coming in there, competing and being ready to contribute to the team right away. They like me to play all three safety positions and decide once I get up there which (specific) position I’m going to play. But they wanted me to get ready for all three positions.
“They said that they liked my tackling, physicality, and my coverage skills.”
King said that he was hearing from Cal, Oregon State, Georgia, and West Virginia among others. Northern Colorado was the only school he visited during the recruiting process.
The defensive back said that everything that transpired this weekend came as no surprise, and that he expected the Sun Devils to offer him a scholarship during his trip and that he was more than ready to commit to ASU.
“I really liked the family atmosphere here,” King described, “the campus, the city…it’s really comfortable here. I didn’t expect a couple of months ago to be playing in the Pac-12 but I know this is a good fit for me.”
King will have two years to play two seasons and is expected to join the team in mid-June.
King’s teammate Kobe Williams, a 5-10 175-pound cornerback, was quite happy to be part of the proverbial package deal as his recruitment process with ASU was identical to that of King from start to finish.
“We both got the call from Arizona State the same day,” Williams recalled. “San Jose State, Memphis and Nevada were also looking at me. Arizona State was my only visit and they offered me during the visit. I was expecting to sign when I got here. I just wanted to see what the environment was and it was great.
“I really liked the visit and how everybody on the team is so positive and really look out for your future.”
Williams, who prepped at Long Beach Poly High School stated that the ASU coaches see him playing either cornerback position and were impressed by his skill set.
“They really like my quickness and footwork,” Williams remarked, “and also my passion for the game.”
Since Williams was a qualifier out of high school he has four years to play three seasons and is expected to also arrive in middle of June to join his new teammates.
