Former Knox Catholic star Tyreek King arrived a few months later to Tennessee football practice than most of his fellow freshmen, but that didn’t show.
Among UT’s 32 signees in the 2026 class, 24 enrolled in January and went through spring practice.
King took the traditional route by graduating in May, enrolling at UT in the summer and making his on-field debut at preseason practice on Aug. 5. Knox Catholic, like many private schools, doesn’t permit early graduation.
“It’s been a long wait,” King said. “Being born and raised here in Knoxville, I always dreamed of this.”
Despite his late arrival, coach Josh Heupel is pleased with how quickly King has fit in.
“Typically, the guys that show up in summer, not being a January enrollee, they’re a little
bit outside their element on day one when you get on the practice field,” Heupel said. “But I thought today (King) handled himself extremely well.
“He’s worked extremely hard physically, adding mass and size.”
What Tyreek King did to get ready for Tennessee practice
King isn’t just a local player. He comes with impressive credentials. He had three consecutive 1,000-yard receiving seasons at Catholic as one of the state’s most dynamic playmakers.
In 2024, King committed to Tennessee over Alabama, LSU and others. He was a four-star prospect, ranked as the No. 19 wide receiver in the 2026 class by 247Sports Composite.
King knew he’d be behind early enrollees in preseason practice, so he did extra work to close that gap. He attended position meetings in the spring to get a head-start on the playbook. And he gained 14 pounds in the weight room to arrive at practice at 5-foot-11, 175 pounds.
“It was muscle mass,” King said. “You’ve got to come in and be ready.”
Why Tyreek King is practicing at two positions
King is at slot receiver, where UT can tap into his playmaking ability in the middle of the field.
“I like that you’ve got a lot of open space (at slot receiver),” King said.
King is learning from Braylon Staley, the 2025 SEC Freshman of the Year, and redshirt freshman Joakim Dodson at that position. And he’s already getting reps at punt returner, a role he craves.
"I want to do that so bad. I would love to take on that position," King said. "When you get the ball (as a punt returner), you’ve got to be electric. People are running at you, but they don’t know which way you’re going to go. You’ve got to make them miss, and that’s something you get to do."
Heupel said King's talent as an elusive, quick-twitch runner makes him a good fit at slot receiver and punt returner.
“(King) is extremely explosive (and) dynamic with the ball in his hands,” Heupel said. “(He is) working some punt return stuff too (because) he has a skillset there, as well. We’re really pleased with what he’s done being a guy that came in in May and June.
“He’s got to continue to progress, but we all got to keep getting better.”
Adam Sparks is the Tennessee football beat reporter. Email adam.sparks@knoxnews.com. X, formerly known as Twitter@AdamSparks. Support strong local journalism by subscribing at knoxnews.com/subscribe.
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This article originally appeared on Knoxville News Sentinel: How Knox Catholic's Tyreek King caught up as Tennessee football late arrival
