College recruiters paraded through the halls of Detroit’s East English Village High School in 2012 and 2013 in the never-ending search for talent. They weren’t quite sure what to make of one prospect, despite his gaudy production. His name: Desmond King.
Rod Oden, his high school coach, told every recruiter that King was special. But they saw a kid who was shorter than his listed 5-foot-11 and who ran between a 4.5 and 4.6 in the 40-yard dash. For most, those measurables were more important than his Michigan state record 29 career interceptions.
“Every Big Ten team came into our building,” Oden said.