Kalen King reveals when he knew 2023 Penn State defense was special

The only word to describe the Penn State defense to this point of the season is special. Any time you are second in the country in scoring defense, something is clearly going right. Opponents are averaging just 8.0 points per game against the Nittany Lions, with West Virginia‘s 15 points being the highest total of the year.

Manny Diaz is the defensive coordinator and had a top-10 unit last season. Even with two defensive backs getting selected in the NFL Draft, Penn State has found a way to improve. That became obvious to cornerback Kalen King not too long after taking down Utah in the Rose Bowl in January.

“End of springtime, right after our bowl game,” King said during Thursday’s episode of Andy Staples On3. “After the bowl game, everybody disperses. Guys were going to the NFL. I was super attentive during that whole process because I wanted to soak in as much information as I could with Joey (Porter) Jr. being heavily involved in all that stuff.

“When that time ended a spring ball came around, we start practicing. How we looked in practice — we looked dominant. It looked like the same defense but a little better. It was a whole different group. It was a lot of younger guys stepping up. A lot of guys that weren’t really in the fold last year stepping up and making plays.”

Porter played opposite of King last season and eventually was a second-round pick of the hometown Pittsburgh Steelers. Not too many college teams are able to lose a corner of his capability and still play just as well. Sure, it’s only one position but to have an overall team improvement while losing Porter is impressive.

Six different Penn State defensive backs have interceptions this season. Nearly 20 players have recorded a tackle for loss and 15 have gotten to the quarterback to record at least one sack. There is depth throughout the entire roster, no matter who has been on the schedule.

If a defense is going to be special throughout an entire season, they have to show up in the biggest games. Penn State will head to Columbus, attempting to slow down Kyle McCord and the Ohio State offense.

Kalen King will have a tough personal task, no matter which Buckeye receiver he lines up against on Saturday afternoon. The challenges will not stop there either, with Ohio State sporting a tough offensive line and run game.

Everyone wearing a Penn State jersey will need to have a good game and cement their status as a special defense with the ability to play against anyone in the country.