Penn State Sports Magazine
Issue link: https://comanpub.uberflip.com/i/1496986
2 8 M A Y 2 0 2 3 W W W . B L U E W H I T E O N L I N E . C O M player, and we need him to embrace hav- ing that target on him this year." 'He Competes Like Crazy' King has embraced all the challenges this offseason. In fact, even with the cornerback's heightened profile, coach James Franklin doesn't see much dif- ference between the mentality King displayed when he arrived on campus in January 2021 and the approach he's taken while going through his third set of spring drills. "He's a guy who did not play like a freshman as a true freshman," Franklin said. "He obviously took a significant step as a sophomore, and he's continu- ing to trend like that. "He's got the right mindset, and he competes like crazy every single day. I think he's trending to have another really good year for us. He's more of a leader through his actions, but he's done a really nice job." Leadership is the last piece of the puzzle. By all accounts, Porter led through actions and words. The latter is an area where King admits he must improve. "I feel like with Joey leaving, this is an opportunity for me to come up and grab the room," King said. "I have to become more of a leader for the young guys. They're coming in and clearly looking for [someone to fill] a leadership role. This offseason and going into next year, that's one of my biggest [priorities]. I feel like I have to be the standard for everyone in the corner room." King has every opportunity to be the complete package for Penn State this year on and off the field. If he can check all the boxes, it will make him not just an All-American but one of next year's most intriguing juniors with a stay-or- go decision regarding the NFL. The veteran cornerback isn't getting ahead of himself, though. Instead, he's slowly building toward what will likely be his best season yet. And he's bringing his position mates along with him as they work in tandem to push each other to the next level with hopes of surpassing last year's production in the secondary. "We really are a brotherhood, so we're competing naturally," King said. "You don't really have to force the corner room to compete. We bring it every day because we've got vets, we've got young guys, we've got guys who know the ropes, and we've got guys who don't, so I feel like that only helps the team. "The young guys can see how to work, and the older guys are mentoring the younger guys and getting them up to speed, so there's no drop-off." ■ With standout Joey Porter Jr. manning the opposite cornerback spot last year, opponents tested King frequently. He responded with a team-high 18 pass breakups and 3 interceptions. PHOTO BY DANIEL ALTHOUSE