Penn State football: Kalen King earns top 5 preseason ranking

Another day, another Penn State Nittany Lion on a preseason top 10 list. This time, it’s Penn State standout defensive back Kalen King, who was previous ranked as the No. 1 cornerback in the Big Ten by Pro Football Focus. King made On3’s top 10 cornerbacks ahead of the 2023 season, and was again ranked the top corner in his conference — additionally, he was ranked No. 5 overall.

Kalen King ranked the No. 5 corner nationally

Just as we saw in 2022, Penn State football may have the best defensive backfield in the entire Big Ten. Leading the Nittany Lions’ defensive secondary will be Kalen King — one of the most-hyped defensive players in the conference heading into the 2023 season. Throughout his short time in State College, King has already grown into a star athlete and will look to fill the large shoes of former CB1, Joey Porter Jr.

Here is what On3 had to say about why they ranked King at No. 5:

“King had a big impact at Penn State in his second season, and he’ll go into his junior year looked at as one of the leaders on defense. King recorded 30 tackles last season, while also picking off three passes, forcing a fumble and recovering a fumble.”

King could be best corner in the Big Ten

On3 is not the first major outlet to grade Penn State’s Kalen King as the best corner in the Big Ten. Other reliable outlets — such as Pro Football Focus — have done the same, and aside from national standouts like Kool Aid McKinstry of the Alabama Crimson Tide, few defensive backs are being placed in the same category as Kalen King right now.

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