Greg King never knew how much football meant until it was almost taken away.

The 6-foot-3, 200-pound linebacker from Memphis Melrose High School started playing football when he was in the sixth grade.

It was a year later when King's football career almost ended.

King, who is the News Sentinel's ninth-best prospect in the state, said a group of men approached him about joining their gang when he was 13 years old.

When King refused, they attacked him, leaving him with an elbow so badly broken that it's still supported by a rod, two steel plates and eight screws.

King said the incident left him scared, but that wasn't his biggest concern.

"I just wanted to know if I (would) play football," King said. "All I asked was, 'Can I still play football?' "

Not only did King return to football, but he brought with him a new determination.

King said the incident gave him an appreciation for the game he loved to play.

"It made me work even harder," he said. "It made me a better person because I feel if somebody is trying to take something from me I'm going to work harder for what I'm striving for."

King's work has earned him scholarship offers from about 10 schools, including Tennessee, Alabama, LSU, Miami, Oklahoma, Texas Tech and Memphis.

King said he hasn't narrowed his list but plans to take all five official visits allowed by the NCAA.

"I'll want to see if I feel comfortable around the people and if it's the best place for me," he said. "I'll see if I feel that's the best place for me to stay for the next four years."

King said UT and Memphis have recruited him the hardest recently.

While King said Memphis seems like an unlikely destination, UT could have an advantage as the in-state school.

"I would love to play at Tennessee," he said. "They tell me this and that about how good it is.

"I'm going to have to see on my own. I'll go and see how I enjoy myself."

King said he's unsure when he will take his visits but he doesn't want them to interfere with his season.

King said he's more focused on helping Melrose win a state championship, which hasn't happened since 1998.

Melrose coach Hubbard Alexander said if the Golden Wildcats win a title this year it will be because of King's leadership.

"The kids listen to him before they listen to me," Alexander said. "He's with them in the trenches and in the foxhole. They say, 'If he does it, I'm going to do it.' "

King said his leadership comes from his mother's guidance. It's a role he's always accepted.

"Everyone always told me, 'You're going to be a leader one day,' " King said. "I just try my best to do the best.

"That's all. I just take it to the limit."

It's a limit King has pushed since his father signed him up for football in the sixth grade.

King said he still remembers the first time he put on pads.

"From there forward it's been a dream come true," he said. "It's the best thing to ever happen to me."

© 2008, Knoxville News Sentinel Co.