Fort Hill graduate Danny King, who spent the last four seasons at West Virginia University, has committed to transfer to Southern Utah, King posted on social media earlier this week.
King will be on full scholarship and have two years left of eligibility, he said, and will play for former Frostburg State head coach DeLane Fitzgerald.
Southern Utah is a Division 1 Football Championship Subdivision team that competes in the Western Athletic Conference.
“Point blank, the best high school kicker and punter that I’ve ever watched in person,” Fitzgerald said during a press conference that announced the Thunderbirds’ signing class.
“I used to go to his high school football games when we were back there and watch him kick it six yards out of the back of the end zone on kick-offs. And just regularly kick 50- and 60-yard kicks.”
King was one of the country’s top place kicking recruits coming out of high school, where he was a three-time All-Area kicker, punter and quarterback for Todd Appel at Fort Hill.
He ultimately decided to stay local and play for Neal Brown at WVU; however, King never received a chance to showcase his ability in Morgantown, West Virginia.
King didn’t kick in his first two seasons at WVU, which served as COVID and redshirt years that didn’t impact his eligibility, and he had four kickoffs for 195 yards as a redshirt freshman in 2022.
In 2023, King had four kickoffs for 260 yards and two touchbacks, and he made two extra points.
As a junior at Fort Hill, King averaged 40.7 yards a punt and put 12 inside the opponents’ 20-yard line. He had 86 touchbacks on 92 kick-offs and made 10 of 11 field goals with a long of 54 yards.
King was 3 for 7 on field goals during his senior year while also serving as a starting defensive back and quarterback. He made 118 of 119 extra points over his final two seasons in South Cumberland.
“He’s gonna come in here as a grad transfer,” Fitzgerald added. “Great academically, MBA student, and he’s gonna kick and punt for us for the next two years. He’ll be a major upgrade there, and we’re excited about Danny.”
Fitzgerald compiled a 62-19 record as the head coach at Frostburg State from 2014-21, overseeing the Bobcats’ rise from Division III to Division II.
In his final campaign, Fitzgerald led FSU to a 10-1 finish and No. 22 ranking in the country, though Frostburg was unable to compete in the postseason due to NCAA rules after jumping divisions in 2019.
Fitzgerald is 11-11 in two seasons at Southern Utah, going 5-6 in his first year and 6-5 this season.
Southern Utah has another former Fort Hill graduate on its roster in 2022 Offensive Player of the Year Mikey Allen, a 6-foot, 170-pound cornerback who appeared in one game as a freshman in 2023.
Fitzgerald also offered another Cumberland special teams standout in All-Area kicker and punter Blake Powell, who is a senior at Allegany. Powell received the offer on Nov. 29.