Penn State football defensive star named preseason All-American

The 2023 college football season sits roughly six months away, though spring ball practices are already underway in Happy Valley. Recently, Pro Football Focus released its preseason All-American list, and on it is a familiar face for Penn State football fans: Kalen King, the Nittany Lions’ standout defensive back. Heading into this season, King is getting a lot of praise, and seeing as Joey Porter Jr. is on his way out via the NFL Draft, King will be expected to take over as Penn State’s CB1 this fall.

Penn State football standout Kalen King named preseason All-American by PFF

During the 2022 season, Penn State football earned a well-deserved reputation for having elite defensive backs. From Tig Brown at safety to Joey Porter Jr. and Kalen King at cornerback, there were few teams in the nation that could successfully pass on the Nittany Lions’ defense — this was a large reason why Penn State finished 11-2, ranked in the top 10, and won the Rose Bowl game against No. 8 Utah.

As we turn the page from that fantastic season, Penn State football has some high hopes for its defensive backs once again. In fact, many major media outlets — especially PFF — have been pointing to Kalen King as being one of the best in the business heading into the 2023 season. Here is what PFF had to say about King and why he was named a preseason All-American.

Joey Porter Jr. received all of the love in Penn State’s secondary and is a projected first-round pick, but King was the true star this past season.

In single-coverage, the sophomore led all corners in the country with a 93.3 grade and 18.3 passer rating allowed. His 15 forced incompletions in single-coverage were tied for third among FBS corners as well.

Kalen King of Penn State football was one of two cornerbacks named to PFF’s preseason All-American list — the other was Kool-Aid McKinstry of the Alabama Crimson Tide.

Thank you for reading Basic Blues Nation. Please follow us on Facebook and Twitter for the latest news and insights on your favorite Penn State athletics.

For feedback, questions, concerns, or to apply for a writing position, please email us at [email protected] or direct message us on our social media. It’s due to your support that we can become one of the market’s fastest-growing Penn State sports outlets!