Elijah King is a 6'5", 260-pound defensive lineman from Gahanna, Ohio, where he played at Gahanna Lincoln under coach Bruce Ward. King finished his high school career as the program's all-time sack leader, recording 14.5 sacks as a senior alongside 27 tackles-for-loss, 63 total tackles, two forced fumbles, two pass breakups, and one fumble recovery. He earned first-team all-state defensive honors and helped Lincoln reach an OHSAA Division I, Region III Championship game in 2023. Recruited as a top-50 signee in Ohio and a top-100 defensive end prospect nationally, King joined Rutgers as a freshman in 2024 and did not appear in games that season or in 2025, when he was named to the Academic All-Big Ten list.