King making transition to full-time corner
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Incoming freshman Brandon King is doing all he can to help ease his transition to Big Ten football.
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The Warner Robins, Ga., native, a two-year starting quarterback at Houston County High School, is beginning his transformation this summer into a full-time cornerback.
"It won't be that hard," King said, "because I played quarterback the last two years of high school, but my first two I started varsity as a corner."
The 5-foot-11, 180-pound King is working out with a speed coach in his hometown this summer, along with fellow Warner Robins native and current Florida State senior receiver Willie Reid.
"The main thing I want to do is just get off the mark quick, get my 40 time down a lot," said King, who passed for 831 yards and rushed for 989 more last season.
King says he'd like to decrease his dash time to 4.3 seconds, saying his best time so far — unverified, of course — is 4.34.
"I'm just trying to get my quickness up," King said, "and speed and agility too. I'm just trying to build all three of those, at the same time."
King, a three-star Rivals.com prospect, chose Purdue over offers from Clemson and Central Florida, along with late interest from Georgia.
With the Boilers in search of quality depth for starters Brian Hickman and Paul Long at the cornerback positions this season, King knows he's got an opportunity to see playing time early in his Purdue career.
King will join redshirt freshmen Zach Logan and Fabian Martin as perhaps the most likely candidates to fill out the two-deep.
"If I work hard enough," King said, "I think there's definitely a chance for me to see this field this year.
"We're already ranked as one of the top defenses … I want to help out so we can be even better."
To get that opportunity, King says, he'll have to get more physical. After two years of trying to avoid would-be tacklers, King is trying to become one.
"I just have to get used to the contact," King said, "but I'll be all right.
"That will be the biggest adjustment probably. But once I get used to it, it's on. Once I get used to being back there again, I'll be all right."
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