Nashville-area speedster visits fathers old school

Derek King Sr., attended Ole Miss in the 1980s, playing offensive guard for the Rebels in 1986 and 1987 before moving to offensive tackle in 1988.

Still, Monday's trip to Oxford was his son's first.

And for Derek King, it was both nostalgic and sentimental.

"It went well," said King, a three-star athlete from Brentwood (Brentwood Academy), Tenn. "We went around the campus and they showed me the field and they just basically showed me what Ole Miss had to offer and what it was all about.

"It was kind of cool. My dad could look back on how he was when he was kind of my age. It was good to know that I could play on that field also if I choose to play at Ole Miss."

The Rebels have offered the younger King, a 5-foot-11, 185-pounder with 4.45-second speed in the 40-yard dash who is being recruited primarily as a running back.

"I talked to the running backs coach (Derrick Nix) and that's the position they want me for," King said. "I talked to Coach (Houston) Nutt, too. They both said they liked my speed and my ability to hit the home run, because they're losing that with (former Rebel/current Kansas City Chiefs rookie) Dexter McCluster. They said I could be that for them.

"When I was down there, it definitely felt they really wanted me. Coach Nutt had a lot of things to tell me and it felt real good."

King, who rushed for more than 700 yards as a junior, has offers from Louisville, Middle Tennessee, Wake Forest and Western Kentucky, but he has essentially decided to play in the Southeastern Conference. Besides Ole Miss, King has offers from Vanderbilt, Auburn, Tennessee and Arkansas.

"I put (Ole Miss) pretty high on my list right now," King said. "I liked everything I've seen. I like the coaches and Coach Nutt seems like he really cares about his players. They're up there on my list right now."

King said he plans to wait until after his senior season to take some official visits and make a decision. He said he might attend a one-day at an SEC school later this summer, though he said he hasn't decided when or where just yet. Ole Miss is holding a one-day camp in July.