Penn State’s Kalen King, ‘one of the best corners in the country,’ ready for Rose Bowl spotlight

When Penn State and Utah kick off at the Rose Bowl, the Nittany Lions will be without one of the top prospects in the 2023 draft. Joey Porter Jr., a first-team All-Big Ten pick and a projected first-round selection, is sitting out after declaring his NFL intentions.

And yet, even with Porter watching, Penn State will still have one of college football’s best cornerbacks suited up.

Kalen King has been that good.

He might not get the shine that Porter does, but King, a second-team Walter Camp selection, has proven he, too, is one of the top players at his position.

“Last year, I finished the season very strong,” King said at last week’s Rose Bowl media day. “This year was all about putting my name on a national level to where a lot of people around the country know who I am. Even though I’m only a sophomore, I feel like one of the best corners in the country. I wanted to show that this year.”

King’s inner belief is backed up by the numbers. In the regular season, he led the Power 5 and tied for second among FBS players with 18 pass breakups, the most by a Big Ten player since Wisconsin’s Nick Nelson had 21 in 2017.

King’s 90.1 coverage grade ranked sixth nationally on Pro Football Focus. He was one of two Power 5 players (along with Duke’s Brandon Johnson) to face at least 49 targets, record at least two interceptions and not be flagged for a penalty. King allowed only one touchdown: a 4-yard crossing route at Rutgers.

Penn State’s defense benefited from Porter’s formidable presence. Teams threw away from the man coverage monster all season after he tied a Big Ten record with six pass breakups at Purdue in the season opener.

Quarterbacks shying away from Porter meant King had to stand his ground. He did, allowing defensive coordinator Manny Diaz to dial up pressure. Penn State’s defense ranked top 10 nationally in yards per play (4.6, sixth), tackles for loss (95, eighth), red-zone touchdown rate (43.6%, eighth) and scoring (18 points per game, ninth), and it’s thanks in large part to King and Porter’s partnership.

“Playing with Joey was a benefit to me because it gave me the opportunity to know what a first-rounder looks like,” King said. “The way he carries himself, not even the things he does on the field, but more so things off the field. In practice, he’s giving pointers, coaching us up. He’s always ready, always focused, always on the grind.”

Ji’Ayir Brown, a senior safety and captain who was announced as Penn State’s team MVP of the season, sees King in a similar light.

“I became a superfan of his,” Brown said. “I told him the other day, if I was not in college right now and I was a kid in high school, I’d be a fan of you. To watch him with the aggression he plays with, the motor he plays with, the way he is out there is amazing to see. … I believe he’s going to be the best corner in the nation next year, if not the best corner right now. He’s going to be around for a long time.”

As far as his Penn State future, King will be around for at least one more season. The second-year player isn’t draft-eligible yet. But there’s a world in which Porter is selected in the first round of April’s NFL Draft and King goes in the first round in 2024. For a program that has never had a defensive back selected in the first round, that would be quite a two-draft window for the Nittany Lions.