Back home: Local kid Keenen King will join UNLV football after leaving Washington State

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When the UNLV football program was recruiting Keenen King out of Arbor View High two years ago, they surely made an impression.

King, a three-star recruit with many Pac-12 Conference scholarship offers, ultimately picked Washington State. But in the back of his mind, UNLV was home.

“Coach Sanchez always made me feel like I had a home at UNLV no matter what,” said King, an offensive lineman.

So, when King reached out to UNLV this fall asking to join the program, the process was simple because the admiration was still mutual. King will finish the fall semester at Washington State, where he was part of the traveling team this season for a handful of games, and enroll in the spring at UNLV.

After sitting out in 2018, he will have two years of eligibility.

“I just wanted a change,” King said. “It was time to come home and play football.”

The 6-foot-4, 325-pound King was highly decorated three-year starter at Arbor View, and considered the state’s fourth overall prospect for the 2016 graduating class.

He’ll join an offensive line unit at UNLV with deep local ties. Five different locals have started games this season, including 2016 graduates Julio Garcia and Jaron Caldwell. King and Garcia were classmates and Sig Rogich Middle School, and longtime friends.

“That’s going to be pretty cool,” King said of there potentially being an all-Vegas offensive line.

Ray Brewer can be reached at 702-990-2662 or [email protected]. Follow Ray on Twitter at twitter.com/raybrewer21