King is set to arrive at Duke on Wednesday for his official visit there, and he’s scheduled to be there until Friday. If he sticks to his current plan, a decision could come any time between then and June 28, when he’s scheduled to arrive at the Elite 11 Finals.
Everything I’ve continued to hear suggests Tennessee is one of the teams to beat. Sources around different programs have had some different thoughts on which other teams are seriously in the running — some people say Texas A&M, others say Duke — but the one constant seems to be the Vols. Everyone agrees they’re very much a factor going into what could be the final days before his decision.
I think coaching and development are important to King, and one of the things about Tennessee he seems to like most is the idea of being coached by Chaney and Weinke. King’s dad is the head coach at his high school. So given the importance of finding a program that can develop him as a quarterback, I think Duke might be a bit of a darkhorse going into that visit this week. Cutcliffe’s track record with QBs obviously is going to be appealing to King.
On the other hand, a lot of people in Texas are completely convinced A&M is right there with Tennessee, and the Aggies certainly can’t be counted out. If I had to guess right now, though, I still would lean slightly toward thinking the Vols might have the upper hand. But the Duke visit is worth watching.
Not sure when I might make a Crystal Ball pick for King. As always, I’ll do it whenever the time is right. There’s still enough conflicting information out there that I wouldn’t say Tennessee is the clear-cut leader. But there’s enough buzz about the Vols that I wouldn’t say anyone has a better shot than them, if that makes sense.