After turbulent five years, center Jonny King sticks with Charlotte 49ers
It’s easy for Charlotte defensive back Ja’Qurious Conley to recall his favorite conversation with teammate Jonny King. It happened on July 24.
The pair were heading to the Charlotte Convention Center for the American Conference Kickoff to represent the 49ers. The ride is just over 13 miles. If there’s no traffic, it’s never longer than 20 minutes. But in that short time, the conversations between the DB and the redshirt senior offensive lineman started flowing.
King told Conley that he’s learning how to play guitar. The defensive back shared things about his day-to-day life, too. Then, the conversation went deeper. Both players talked about what they wanted their lives to look like after football.
“Other leaders that I had on the team, they want to be the show,” Conley said. “And Jonny King doesn’t want to be the show. He just wants to be an aspect on the team that helps the team move forward in life, and I think that’s the best thing you can be as a leader.”
The 6-foot-3, 295-pound player has remained a staple on a Charlotte team that recently has experienced significant turnover. During his redshirt junior season at Charlotte, King started all 12 games at center, leading the team with 737 snaps. He recorded 433 pass block snaps and 304 run block snaps. He allowed one sack and nine pressures.
King doesn’t like to live in the past, but he understands what the last five years at Charlotte have been like. He’s seen three different head coaches and five O-line coaching changes. King suffered a season-ending injury during his redshirt sophomore season. Since 2020, the 49ers have posted an 18-36 record. They’ve also moved to a different conference two years ago.
“Like in every program, there are ups and downs,” King said. “Unfortunately, we haven’t had enough ups in my career. But that’s led us to coach Albin.”
In December, Tim Albin was hired as Charlotte’s new head coach after four seasons at Ohio University. He helped the Bobcats to three consecutive 10-win seasons from 2022-24. The 49ers went 11-24 over those same three years.
To be successful in Charlotte, Albin knew he needed to keep King. The center entered his name into the transfer portal after former head coach Biff Poggi’s departure at the beginning of December. He met with teams like N.C. State and planned a visit to East Carolina. King had multiple Power Four offers.
“It was a tough two weeks for me,” King said.
After Albin was hired the next week, the whole team had scattered home after finals. King lived in Greensboro, less than two hours away. Albin arrived in Charlotte late Thursday night. King was in his office by 9 a.m. the next day.
“It was the most impressive hour conversation with a young man,” Albin said.
Albin told the center there was no bag of cash, but the whole coaching staff was behind him. Then, the head coach said a couple prayers and crossed his fingers.
King called Albin and told him he cancelled his last visit. He wanted to stay at Charlotte.
“I knew this is where I was supposed to be,” King said. “I’ve been in Charlotte for a long time, so it holds a dear place in my heart.”
Now, heading into his sixth season with the 49ers, King is approaching this year the same as others.
He doesn’t have any individual goals. King thinks having a team-first mentality is part of his position. Centers don’t get a lot of credit and he’s fine with that. He learned to be unselfish early.
“My dad, he never expects credit from anybody and stuff like that,” King said. “It’s always everybody else first, and that’s just the way I live my life and it’s me.”
King wants to push his teammates and build their confidence. He wants to give them someone to look up to.
“I just want to be a good leader,” King said. “I want to be the guy that all my teammates come to me and talk to me. I want to be the example of what Coach Albin wants. So, that’s kind of what a success would be for me is not letting these guys down.”
That’s why he had the conversation in the car with Conley. It’s why he arrived at 9 a.m. in Albin’s office. It’s why he’s prepared for another challenging season.
King is ready to be there — no matter what comes next.
This story was originally published July 28, 2025 at 5:30 AM with the headline "After turbulent five years, center Jonny King sticks with Charlotte 49ers."
