King talks his role in the offense, Grant Wells, and freshman back Bryce Duke

Virginia Tech running back Keshawn King flashed glimpses of big play potential during his true freshman season in Blacksburg during the 2019 season when he rushed for 340-uards and two touchdowns as a reserve.

Since the 2019 season, King has seemed to fade into the background behind guys like Khalil Herbert and Raheem Blackshear.

Over the summer and throughout fall camp, King has put in a lot of work off of the football field and looks to factor into the offense in a number of ways and put his explosiveness back on display inside Lane Stadium this fall.

“I feel like I have grown the most with the plays,” King said on Friday during a Zoom call with media members. “Understanding the plays and really building chemistry with my teammates. Obviously, we’ve got a new quarterback here, so pretty much just diving in with my team and understanding a lot that is going on and really focusing on the things that I can do that will better me as a player. I have been running a lot to build my endurance, that is something that I focus on too to better me as a player.

“Me, being explosive, that comes from working hard every day,” King added.

Over the past three seasons, King has been utilized as a running back, a return specialist, and has showcased his catching abilities as well.

This fall, he could be called upon to carry a heavier load.

“Whatever my role is going to be, I will be happy with it,” King said. “Whatever I can do to help this team.

“I have a really good feel. I can help this team in any way, whether they put me on kickoff return, punt return, anything like that, I am going to make it happen.”

King also has a great feel for his new quarterback, Grant Wellsafter working with him throughout spring and fall camp.

“He is amazing. He is a hard worker, very smart. He understands everything, knows everybody’s job. I can count on him for anything when I ask, and I am pretty sure the team feels the same way about him. He is very, very, very smart. That’s one thing. He is a very well-rounded player as well.

“He is a born leader. I can truly say that everything he does, he takes a professional approach to it. He is a very good quarterback.”

King also touched on true freshman running back Bryce Dukewho has generated a lot of buzz during his first fall camp with the Hokies.

“Bryce came knowing everything, knowing what was expected of him. He is tackling everything on and off the field. He is a very hard worker, and he is determined to fix anything that he feels like he is doing wrong. As far as being in the books and things like that, he takes his time, and he really understands it. He is a very well-rounded player as well, very excited about him.”