Courtesy of Penn State Athletics
Today, as the early National Letter of Intent signing day period kicks off, most — if not all — of the newest members of the Penn State recruiting class will sign on the dotted line, accepting a scholarship to play football for the Nittany Lions. For every player who does sign, I’ll be here to provide an in-depth scouting report. Here is my report on Michigan defensive back Kalen King.
Height: 5-11
Weight: 170
School: Cass Technical HS (Detroit)
Projected position: Cornerback
Other Power 5 offers: Arkansas, Boston College, Colorado, Indiana, Iowa, Iowa State, Kansas, Kentucky, Maryland, Michigan, Michigan State, Minnesota, Missouri, Nebraska, Pittsburgh, Purdue, Syracuse, West Virginia, Wisconsin
Rating: Four stars by Rivals.com and 247sports; Three stars by ESPN
Projection: If the last name and the offers list seem familiar, it’s because they’re about the same as his brother, Kobe King, who is also part of this class. Kalen King is kind of the same deal at cornerback as Kobe is at linebacker. They are both two-way players who have a nose for the football. Neither are freaks, size-wise; in fact, Kalen King might be a little small even at cornerback. But he’s already a good cover guy who can catch the ball and has plenty of play-making ability once he gets it. He needs to get stronger and should also get faster once he gets into Penn State’s strength and conditioning program. He’s not an immediate, every-down contributor in all likelihood. But he’s another player in this class who can be a multi-year contributor.
Donnie Collins has been a member of The Times-Tribune sports staff for nearly 20 years and has been the Penn State football beat writer for Times-Shamrock Newspapers since 2004. The Penn State Football Blog covers Nittany Lions, Big Ten and big-time college football news from Beaver Stadium to the practice field, the bowl game to National Letter of Intent Signing Day. Contact: dcollins@timesshamrock.com; 570-348-9100 x5368; @DonnieCollinsTT