Penn State Sports Magazine
Issue link: https://comanpub.uberflip.com/i/1472993
A U G U S T 2 0 2 2 6 5 W W W . B L U E W H I T E O N L I N E . C O M LINEBACKERS with an offer, Penn State immediately piqued the family's interest. Just two weeks later, the Kings drove 12 hours roundtrip to see the Blue-White Game. Kalen admitted after the visit that PSU would "certainly be a player" in his re- cruitment, but for Kobe, the wait con- tinued. Then came the summer camp sea- son, and everything changed. One of the camps that Kobe King attended in June was the Best of the Midwest event at Grand Valley State in Allendale, Mich. Following a strong workout, King was named a top performer by multiple me- dia outlets, and it proved to be a turning point in his recruitment. He doesn't re- member how he tested that day, but he does recall adding seven new scholarship offers in about two weeks. Penn State was one of those schools. From that point on, the offers never stopped coming. By the end of 2019, Kalen and Kobe had totaled more than two dozen scholarship offers apiece, with Penn State, Michigan and Wiscon- sin eventually emerging as the three fa- vorites. Kalen had been favoring Penn State for a while, but even after pick- ing up his offer from the Nittany Lions, Kobe was interested in exploring all his options. "I guess it was kind of an impulsive thought," Kobe said, looking back. "We went to Wisconsin, and it was lively. The fans were crazy. I love linebacker, and Wisconsin is a great linebacker school. I really enjoyed Wisconsin, but it didn't work out like that." It's a good thing for Penn State that it didn't. As they enter their second year on campus, both brothers are ready to make a big impact. Kalen played nearly 300 snaps last season as a true freshman, more than half of which came in the fi- nal four games. Kobe backed up more- established players, but still saw action in four games. He and the coaching staff even considered burning his redshirt ahead of the Outback Bowl following a few opt-outs, but Franklin ultimately decided against it. With Brooks gone, Kobe King has a chance to make the same kind of impact his brother did last season. Before he can do that, though, he needs to prove to the staff that he can handle the switch from outside to in- side linebacker. He also needs to beat out Elsdon, who has an extra year in the program. King said he thought that both he and Elsdon performed well throughout spring practice. "I learned a lot from him, and he learned a lot from me," King said. "With me just coming to play Mike linebacker for the first time, actually having to make those calls, he helped me a lot with that. I think it's been a battle really. He's a great player to compete against, and I just can't wait to see what unfolds later." The growth that it took to put King into the position he is today didn't come easy. Learning how to play such a diffi- cult position at college football's highest level takes more than just time. It also takes a willingness to stay humble and learn from others — coaches and fellow players alike. King was fortunate in that he had two excellent leaders to show him the way last