Penn State linebacker Kobe King turning the corner this summer
Despite being twins, Penn State defenders Kalen and Kobe King have some significant differences. The first and most obvious difference is that one stands at 5-11, 191 pounds, and the other is Kobe King. For most of his career, the latter King has been a solid 250-pound middle linebacker. More on that in a moment.
But the other, more subtle difference is the speed at which they operate. Kalen is a cornerback and flies around the football field, covering the fastest players on the opposing team. But the standout cornerback was also fast adapting to Penn State. He made a name for himself in his first spring campaign after enrolling in January of 2021. Since then, he’s been a staple of the secondary.
King is emerging in his third season at Penn State
But Kobe has taken a slower approach to his time at Penn State. After redshirting his freshman season, King played in all 13 games last season. Despite having a major role in his second season, it feels like the latter King is much further behind his brother in their collective timeline thanks to his brother’s fast start. But head coach James Franklin sees the light coming on for King in his third season.
“I think with Kobe being younger than [Tyler] Elsdon in terms of eligibility, all those reps that he got this spring, I think, were really beneficial,” Franklin said
“But he’s had a really good summer and a really good training camp. He’s leaner than he’s been. You look at him; he’s like a ball of muscle. So it was hard because getting his weight down, his body fat is so low, that that’s challenging. So I think he’s right around 239 right now which, I think is a really good weight for him.”
Time to adjust
For his part, King needed time to adapt. The difference for him this season is that he feels comfortable, not only in the defense but his surroundings.
“Really just adjusting. You know how the transition goes from first year and everybody around you. You get more ahead, and you get accustomed to the schedule and routine. And then make your own routine,” King said at Penn State Media Day.
Middle linebackers need to have command of the defensive scheme but it’s hard to fully focus on football when you’re still feeling your way through life. Not every college student adjusts quickly to their new environment. For King, it took him a moment.
But the biggest change for King was his position as coach. According to the Penn State middle linebacker, defensive coordinator Manny Diaz has influenced his development in the last 18 months. King felt the lightbulb come on during the second half of last season.
“I’d say a big part of that is coach Manny and Dan Conner and the rest of the staff. Coach Manny tries to simplify the game as much as he can for us so we can play fast. It’s just been great as a coach and [learning] his philosophy and getting as much as we can learn from him.
Fast is the name of the game for Penn State’s defense. Not only does the team have impressive athletes at all three levels, but they have the freedom to use that speed, according to King.
“It’s much easier playing fast if you know it. But if you don’t really know the schemes and the installs, it’s a little harder. You’re going to look confused out there, but if you know the scheme and you know how to play inside it, you’re going to play much faster.”
King finished 2022 strong and never looked back
In that respect, you can see how the switch flipped for King in the second half of the 2022 season. He played at least 15 snaps in every game last year, but starting with Week 10 against Indiana, his play picked up considerably.
According to PFF, 15 of his 27 solo tackles came from that week until the end of the season against Utah in the Rose Bowl. For those that don’t mind PFF grades as a guideline for production, King was the second-ranked run defender on the team during that time, trailing only Abdul Carter. That part of his game is where King thinks he excels.
“I would just say being physical and getting downhill. I would say chasing after the ball, seeing the ball, reacting, and going to get it. Just playing fast. Playing faster. From this year to last year it was a change but after the last half of the season I played faster. I would say I got more attentive in the last part of the season.”
This past spring was another big step forward for the 238-pound linebacker. With teammate and starter from 2022, Elsdon shelved with an injury; King soaked up almost all of the reps during spring practice.
The result? A faster, smarter player who took that step he made at the end of 2022 and advanced another.
“He’s moving well, he’s confident, knows the defense, he’s got command of the defense. He’s playing fast and aggressive because of his confidence in himself and the defense,” Franklin said of King this week.
Penn State’s linebacker rotation will be the same, but different
King sees his work this offseason as a major reason he’s in the current position. Reports from camp are that Elsdon and King have flipped spots in their co-starter dynamic. King credits his teammate for helping him take the next step.
“It definitely helped. With me being out there with the guys and learning from those guys and Tyler himself, and learning from everybody in the LB room. It’s been great to hear from a lot of guys, especially Abdul, Dom DeLuca, Curt [Curtis Jacobs], just hearing those different perspectives because they play different positions too. So just learning from those guys that’s helping me out.”
One of Franklin’s favorite coaching philosophies is that every player develops on his own clock, even if he’s a twin. Heading into his third season, it seems that Kobe King’s clock is about to go off.
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