Kalen King remains unphased by preseason attention and praise

STATE COLLEGE, Pa. — Aside from quarterback Drew Allar, there may not be a Nittany Lion with higher expectations this season than one of Penn State’s veteran defensive backs. A season ago, the Penn State football defensive back room was led by Joey Porter Jr.; now, it will be led by preseason All-American Kalen King. According to King, he has no choice but to notice all of his high expectations, though, as he points out, it’s called “preseason” for a reason.

Kalen King is getting a lot of preseason attention

Ahead of the 2023 college football season this fall, Kalen King is getting much attention from the national media. According to many outlets, King is projected to be the No. 1 cornerback in the Big Ten, a preseason All-American, and one of the top defensive players in the country.

A season ago, during the Nittany Lions’ 11-2 Rose Bowl-winning campaign in 2022, King shinned bright yet was seemingly overshadowed by the dominant All-American Joey Porter Jr. Now, in 2023, the defense and national praise is King’s for the taking.

Penn State football defensive star cornerback knows that preseason accolades mean next to nothing

According to Kalen King, getting preseason attention is nice because you are being noticed, but he still knows that it means little (if anything) in the scheme of things.

“It’s preseason for a reason,” Kalen King told the media on Tuesday. “It’s like before anything happens — predictions and stuff — I don’t really get into predictions. But, it’s definitely a good accolade to have, just people noticing the work that you put in, everything that I did last year is finally coming [into the] light. I am grateful for all of the accomplishments, but the work is definitely not done, because now I have to actually BE an All-American. I can’t just be a preseason [All-American].”

The 2023 season is one full of incredibly high expectations for the Penn State football team, and when it comes to the Nittany Lions’ defense, Kalen King must be a leader and flash his talent if Penn State wants to compete with some of the nation’s top programs.

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