Rivals Riser: Duke DL commit King Kalama earns his fourth star

The Rivals Scouting and Rankings Team is in the midst of tracking the senior seasons for 2027 prospects in advance of the next full Rivals300 update in November. As we move toward the November update, Rivals will make select rankings moves in order to reflect senior risers. These moves are not an exhaustive overhaul, which will come in November, but rather a reflection of individuals who have done enough to merit a bump right now. These moves will be rolled out individually.

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The fourth Rivals riser is Duke defensive line commit King Kalama. The Pfafftown (N.C.) Reagan product adds his fourth star and checks in as the No. 35 defensive lineman in Rivals’ 2027 rankings.

King Kalama is one of the more athletic defensive line prospects nationally. Checking in at around 6-foot-1.5, 255 pounds, he posted outstanding athletic markers on the Under Armour circuit this offseason, including an electronically timed 40-yard dash in the low 4.8s. Most importantly, the athleticism shows up on Friday nights. Kalama lines up at defensive end for his high school, showcasing high-end play speed with the ability to run sideline to sideline. The Duke commit is quick off the ball and has excellent closing speed in pursuit, allowing him to make plays behind the line of scrimmage at a high rate.

King Kalama pairs the high-end athleticism with elite production. He has been one of the more productive defensive linemen in the 2027 cycle over the past two seasons. Kalama had a huge junior season in 2025, racking up 29.5 tackles for loss and nine sacks in 13 games. He’s on pace to eclipse those numbers as a senior, with around 16 tackles for loss and four sacks through six games. The athleticism, body of work on Friday nights, effort level and physical growth potential have Kalama’s arrow pointing up.

As a compactly built, hyperathletic defensive line prospect with room to add weight, we see some of former Clemson standout and Pro Bowler Grady Jarrett in King Kalama. Like Kalama, Jarrett was relatively undersized for a top defensive line prospect in high school, checking in at around 6-foot, 280 pounds. The production was similar, with Jarrett posting gaudy stats including 31.5 tackles for loss and 9.5 sacks as a senior at Conyers (Ga.) Rockdale County. Like Jarrett, Kalama will likely need to put on good mass once he’s in a college strength program. The future Blue Devil has some positive indicators in that regard with a big frame (6-foot-7-plus wingspan, 10-inch hands) and a late birthday.

King Kalama becomes the second four-star commit in Duke’s 2027 class, joining tight end Parker Newman. While he’ll likely need some time to continue adding mass and strength to his frame, Kalama has the athleticism to provide juice on pass-rush downs early in his college career. If he can make the physical strides to develop into a gap-shooting defensive lineman, we could see him becoming a disruptive presence along the interior for Manny Diaz‘s program.

Previous Rivals Risers:
WR Ja’Hyde Brown, Louisville (No. 32)
OT David Tarawallie, Penn State (No. 73)
WR Bennett Konkey, Illinois (No. 217)