Sunday Column: It’s Too Early to Crown King … But Maybe Take His Measurements

First rule of the Blue-White Game: Don’t draw any firm conclusions.

This Kalen King dude, though, isn’t leaving us with much choice.

The buzz around Penn State’s impressive freshman cornerback, which has been growing throughout the spring, approached Apache helicopter levels on Saturday during the Nittany Lions’ annual spring scrimmage/exhibition for freshmen students and media afternoon practice. King turned in a pick six and another interception – of presumptive starter Sean Clifford – in the end zone and made his presence felt as a blitzer as well.

Although it’s tempting and likely prudent to say that any performance in any spring game isn’t worth the paper this blog column isn’t printed on, Saturday was just another sign that King could soon be a force to be reckoned with on a Penn State defense that hasn’t had a lot of those forces recently.

“Kalen King is probably the most advanced freshman that we have had since we’ve been here in terms of his ability to practice and compete, both mentally and physically,” head coach James Franklin said earlier in the week.

Franklin, like most coaches, is not above occasional hyperbole but is also usually very careful to dole out too much public praise for any individual player. He also understands the dangers of young players having too many expectations dropped on them by fans, media, and especially themselves. So this was not faint praise or a passing remark from someone who has coached guys like Saquon Barkley and Micah Parsons as freshmen since he’s been here.

Barkley in particular impressed as a rookie not only because of his jaw-dropping playmaking abilities but because of his approach; he was always looking to learn, which he did quickly, and always looking to get better, which he continued to do even after becoming one of the nation’s best running backs. King, who enrolled at Penn State in January, is cut from the same sort of cloth, but might have arrived with more polish at this point in his career.

It is worth noting here, if nowhere else in this column, that Franklin has made similar comments about the approach of King’s twin brother and fellow early enrollee Kobe King, a linebacker. The difference is that Kalen’s impact might be felt more immediately, which is impressive considering he is part of what is perhaps the most loaded position group on the team.

The Nittany Lions return savvy vets Tariq Castro-Fields, Daequan Hardy and Keaton Ellis and promising youngster Joey Porter Jr. and welcomed South Carolina transfer Johnny Dixon to the fold this winter. The glut of talent at the position spurred the Nittany Lions to give Marquis Wilson some reps receiver this spring. Sometimes, freshmen play early because they have to; corner is not one of those positions for Penn State this year.

Other times, freshmen play early because you want them to. King, at 5-11, 185 pounds, looks good to go from a physical standpoint, plus he brings a game-changing ability that Penn State could sorely use.

“He’s one of those guys. He’s always around the ball and he has an understanding of what we’re asking of him,” Franklin said after Saturday’s practice. “We’ve seen it all spring.”

Penn State came up with only four interceptions – one by a corner – in nine games and 266 pass attempts last season. Only two other Big Ten teams averaged fewer picks per game. King had three interceptions himself for a 9-0 Cass Tech (Detroit) team this past season. There is no guarantee that a standout corner will rack up picks, nor that a player with a bunch of interceptions is actually a good corner, but the Nittany Lions could use some more game-changing plays on the back end, and King – as evidenced Saturday – is the type of player who seems to make them.

Penn State has not wanted for stars over the last few years, but there is a difference between players who evolve into stars and those who turn heads from the moment they arrive on campus. Pat Freiermuth, Yetur Gross-Matos, Jahan Dotson, Journey Brown were all guys who became consistently impressive, explosive players, but they all had to pay their dues to varying degrees. King has that Parsons-Barkley feel about him – defensive coordinator Brent Pry made that comparison himself on Saturday – and he has the potential to make a star impact at a program that has had some very good cornerbacks during Franklin’s tenure, guys like John Reid, Amani Oruwariye and Christian Campbell, but has seen only one cornerback – Bryan Scott, who became a safety – selected in the first two rounds of the NFL Draft … ever.

 We don’t know yet if King could break that streak, or if he’s even a Sunday player. We may very well not know for a couple of years. Maybe, given the depth mentioned above, he sits for a year, or is mixed in for an occasional series or two. But we do know that it has been a while since a player stepped onto campus in January, generated this kind of buzz during spring ball, then tore up the spring game. King is resetting expectations with each step, and those are often the sort of players who are capable of changing not only a position group but a program.