Patience, hard work putting Illinois State RB King on a path back to gridiron this fall

Mason King is working his way back from a severe knee injury sustained in Illinois State’s 2024 season opener at Iowa. (Photo by GoRedbirds.com)

By Barry Bottino 

When Mason King touched the football in 2023, he was in a rush.

That approach earned him Missouri Valley Football Conference Newcomer of the Year honors and a spot on the All-MVFC first team.

This spring, the Illinois State running back has learned a whole new approach seven months removed from a severe knee injury sustained in the 2024 season opener at Iowa on his first carry of the season.

“It’s just all about patience, not trying to rush the process,” King told Prairie State Pigskin. “Rushing it is going to get you nowhere. I feel great. I’m happy to be on my feet, able to move around.”

King is grateful to be back, taking part in spring practices at his own pace. He said he also is working with the team’s new running backs to get them up to speed with the offense and helping newly hired RB coach Mike Grant.

“I don’t want to get into specifics,” King said of what he’s working on at practices. “I’m just handling things day by day. I’m trying to stay grounded, stay level-headed. Time is going to heal it.”

With the goal of being back in action by fall camp in August, King expects to be at full speed by then.

“My confidence level is sky high,” he said. “I believe in myself. I believe in the work I’ve put in. I have a good support system behind me – my family, my coaches, my teammates. And I’m growing my faith with God.”

Comeback trail

King’s 2024 season ended after one carry, and his path back to the field has been a marathon.

“It’s been a long recovery,” he said. “It was my first time ever not being able to play during the season.”

His only carry of last season resulted in a multitude of damage to his right knee.

He sustained a torn ACL, a torn LCL and “a couple other things,” he said.

Nerve damage led to foot drop, a condition that causes difficulty lifting the front of the foot.

That condition eventually led King to a former NFL player for advice.

Linebacker Jaylon Smith won the Butkus Award as the nation’s top linebacker at Notre Dame in 2015. In the Fiesta Bowl against Ohio State, he sustained a severe knee injury similar to King, which included foot drop.

Recently, King searched NFL players with foot drop and read about Smith. “This is not a common injury,” the ISU running back said.

King reached out via Instagram to Smith, who spent eight years in the NFL with six different teams, and the two connected.
“He gave me some pointers,” King said. “That was real cool. He was able to get to the NFL (after his injury) and have a career. That’s what I want to do.”

King also has leaned on his grandmother, whose strong faith has rubbed off on him.

“She is big in her faith,” he said. “I wanted to gain further knowledge. I’m still learning.”

Back on the field

His first step toward being back in action was putting on a helmet and shoulder pads during spring practices, which began last month and will conclude with the April 12 spring game in Normal.

“It’s been six, seven months since the last time I put the gear on,” King said. “It felt great seeing everybody’s excitement when they saw me put it on. You could see everybody’s eyes light up.”

One of those teammates, all-conference wide receiver Daniel Sobkowicz, is looking forward to King taking his first carry in 2025.

“I know he’s going to come back better and stronger,” Sobkowicz said. “I have no doubt in my mind that he’ll be back to what he was and he’ll be a huge impact on our offense.”

Barry Bottino is a co-founder of Prairie State Pigskin and a 19-year veteran of three Illinois newspapers. He has covered college athletics since 1995.

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