2 schools lead for Gabe King

I made a few calls to update my Gabe King stuff since this morning, and he does indeed have leaders now. King is leaning toward the Tar Heels and California, although he still may not make his final decision until signing day next February.

UNC has moved up after ace recruiter John Blake became more involved, according to a source close to the situation. King could not be reached for comment.

He still plans to take his five official visits.

Why does all this matter? You only had to be at the recent Scout.com Combine in Charlotte to understand.

In one-on-one drills, King was never stopped by some of the area’s best offensive linemen, using speed and a batch of nifty moves to beat his man each time.

That came after a 40-yard dash that he ripped through in 4.75 seconds. And after he tweaked a hamstring, he said later.

King said he had no grade problems, and that he will take the SAT June 6.

If playing for Northern Guilford High doesn’t happen (see Gabe King, Part I), he won’t let that get him down.

“It would be pretty frustrating,” he said at the combine. “I’ve talked to a lot of colleges, and they really don’t mind. If I can’t play high school, I’ll go to Hargrave (Military Academy, a prep school) and play.”

Hargrave, which plays other prep schools with big, college-bound participants, would solve one problem

“I’m tired of being the biggest guy out there,” King said. “Everybody says ‘he’s big and he’s oversized and he’s too fast. That’s why he’s doing things.’”

--Stan Olson