The Fitzgerald Purple Hurricanes are off to another great start. By the time you read this, the playoff picture will be much clearer. As I write this, however, the season is just at its midpoint. The ‘Canes are 5-0 and haven’t really been tested. They’ve outscored their opponents 199-80 and already have one region win under their belts. And a big reason for their success has been junior fullback J.D. King.
Along with quarterback James Graham, King is the featured back in Fitzgerald’s hybrid Wing-T attack. Halfway through the season, the 5’10”, 196-pounder has already rushed for 917 yards and eight touchdowns. He’s big, he’s fast, and he’s very coachable. King is also an unselfish player who is more concerned about the success of his teammates than he is about his own statistics.
“When I was in middle school, I used to set stat goals for myself,” King says. “But that made me selfish. My uncle talked to me about that. I quit worrying about myself and started focusing on my teammates. I really started getting better when I did that.”
An All-Region selection last year, King spent most of the year playing in the shadow of quarterback Gerald Morgan, who was the Region Player of the Year. While Morgan was grabbing all the headlines, King rushed for over 1,500 yards and built a solid resume that made everyone take notice. As his statistics for this year already attest, last season was the foundation for bigger and better things to come. Given the success that Fitzgerald has enjoyed and King’s quick start, you would think that he would have a hard time staying focused. That, however, isn’t the case.
“You’re really the first person who’s called me for an interview,” he says. “But staying focused isn’t hard. It’s all about who I hang out with and listening to my coaches. I’m not really a social person. I just hang out with two or three people. If I’m not with them, I’m at the gym trying to get better at football,” he says.
King is more than a great athlete; he’s a great student as well. He holds a 3.1 grade point average, something that makes him all the more attractive to the dozens of colleges that have expressed interest in having him join their programs two years from now.
“My grades are good, but I know I can do better. I just need to focus more,” he says.
Currently, King has one scholarship offer on the table – from Georgia Southern University.
“I’m getting invited to visit a lot of different schools,” he says. “But I’m not worried about that right now. My coaches are telling me not to worry about that just yet. We’ll worry about it after the season ends.”
Sidebar:
J.D. King is also a member of the Fitzgerald track team. He has competed in the long jump, the 100-meters, 200-meters, and the 4×100 and 4×400 relay teams. Last year, the 4×100 team finished second in the state. King was also second in the state in the long jump. The Purple Hurricanes came in second in the state, behind Greater Atlanta Christian. King plans to run track again this year.
“We didn’t lose much from last year,” he says. “We’ve got some fast, strong guys coming back. We should do well again.”
South Georgia / November 2015
J.D. King
Fitzgerald High School
Fitzgerald, Georgia
Junior fullback leading explosive Fitzgerald offense
By Robert Preston Jr.
Photography by Micki K Photography
