Tag: Kalen King

Franklin: Kalen King ‘most advanced freshman’ since we’ve been here

One freshman cornerback is making a name for himself during the spring in Happy Valley.

Ahead of the annual Blue-White Game on Saturday, Penn State football head coach James Franklin addressed the media to discuss the improvements the team has made with only two spring practices left. During that press conference, he made remarks about one freshman cornerback that has been making noise this spring.

“Kalen King is probably the most advanced freshman we’ve had since we’ve been here,” Franklin said.

The freshman hails from Detroit, Michigan and comes to State College paired with his twin brother, Kobe King, who will play linebacker for the Nittany Lions.

Penn State’s depth at the cornerback position is somewhat in question. They do have five corners returning including Tariq Castro-Fields and Keaton Ellis, but the addition of King could provide an improvement at the position in his first season.

King is considered to be one of Penn State’s top recruits for the 2021 class, according to 247Sports. He comes in at 5-foot-11, which is right around the average size for the corner position, but his quick change in direction can make up for that early on in his career.

The Nittany Lions wrap up their spring practices this Saturday at Beaver Stadium and it’s clear that fans should be exciting to see King get his first “unofficial” action as a Nittany Lion.

Follow Nittany Lions Wire on Twitter and like us on Facebook for continuing Penn State coverage and discussion.

Penn State’s final spring football practice will not be televised

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Two Badger 2021 targets commit to Penn State

Twin brothers Kalen and Kobe King announced earlier today that they are committing to the Penn State Nittany Lions after they both…

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Twin brothers Kalen and Kobe King announced earlier today that they are committing to the Penn State Nittany Lions after they both listed Wisconsin in their top-7 schools a week ago.

The Detroit natives both listed Wisconsin, Michigan, Iowa, Arkansas and Penn State as five of their top-seven schools with Kobe including Iowa State and Minnesota and Kalen including Nebraska and Missouri as the final two.

Kalen is a four-star cornerback who ranks as the 24th-best cornerback recruit in the nation and Kobe is a three-star inside linebacker who ranks as the 20th-best linebacker prospect.

The brothers will now line up across from Head Coach Paul Chryst‘s unit when they arrive in State College, Pa. to join Head Coach James Franklin‘s program.

Detroit (MI) Cass Tech brothers pick Penn State over Michigan

The Wolverines lose out on twin defenders from Detroit (MI) Cass Tech to a rival Big Ten school.

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With Detroit (MI) Cass Tech being a nearby powerhouse that’s consistently produced some of the top Michigan players in recent memory, it seems like an obvious choice that all and any Technicians that have Wolverines offers would end up wearing maize and blue.

Not so fast.

Twins Kobe and Kalen King made it known they were likely a package deal, with the former being a three-star linebacker and latter a four-star cornerback. Considering that players such as Jourdan Lewis, Donovan Peoples-Jones, Terry Richardson, Will Campbell and other luminaries from the high school have ended up in Ann Arbor, given the King brothers’ frequent visits to campus, it seemed obvious they’d end up wearing the winged helmet.

Except they chose Penn State, as they announced their commitments via Twitter.

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While the Wolverines have plenty of other targets at either position, it hurts to lose high-tier talent in their backyard.

Michigan will assuredly continue pursuing both until they sign, but a loss close to home always hurts.

Michigan State Football re-offers 2021 4-star CB Kalen King

MSU has decided to re-offer 2021 4-star cornerback Kalen King out of Cass Tech in Detroit.

Part of the recruiting process for Mel Tucker and his staff at Michigan State will not just be to identify new recruiting prospects, but also to look at the work Mark Dantonio and his staff had already done and see who they would like to stick with and re-offer. One player who Tucker decided to re-offer was Cass Tech cornerback Kalen King, who announced the reaffirmation of his scholarship offer on Monday on Twitter.

King is a 4-star cornerback in the 2021 class, according to the 247sports composite rankings. 247sports has him as the No. 10 ranked player in Michigan for his recruiting class and the No. 24 overall cornerback.

King is currently projected by 247sports to head to Penn State.

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Where Cass Tech’s Kalen King is at with Michigan as commitment looms

Cass Tech’s Kalen King is committing on April 10 and considering Penn State, Michigan, Iowa, Arkansas, Wisconsin, Nebraska and Missouri.

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Detroit (Mich.) Cass Tech 2021 four-star cornerback Kalen King began feeling pressure when the COVID-19 pandemic shut down all in-person recruiting.

So much stress that he’s made a major change in his recruitment.

King originally planned to commit in late August or early September, but that has changed out of worry that other high school prospects will now pledge to a program earlier, thus taking a spot that could’ve belonged to the Cass Tech star.

The 5-foot-11, 170-pound cornerback is making his commitment on April 10 and considering Penn State, Michigan, Iowa, Arkansas, Wisconsin, Nebraska and Missouri.

β€œI wanted to take a lot of visits this spring. I was planning on going to Penn State, West Virginia, Kentucky, Notre Dame, Indiana, Iowa, Iowa State and Minnesota,” King said. “I was planning on going to those schools this spring, but now I can’t.”

“Things have been going good with Michigan,” King said. “I’ve been on the phone with coach (Jim) Harbaugh and (defensive coordinator) Don Brown. Michigan is in my top schools.”

King’s twin brother, Kobe King, is a three-star inside linebacker with a top 7 of Arkansas, Iowa, Iowa State, Michigan, Minnesota, Penn State and Wisconsin. He will also commit soon.

Many believe the King twins want to play together in college. They are together considering Penn State, Michigan, Wisconsin, Arkansas and Iowa.

According to 247Sports composite, Kalen is rated no. 328 in the country, No. 24 at cornerback and No. 10 in Michigan.

Kobe is ranked No. 452 in the nation, No. 20 at linebacker and No. 13 in the state.

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Cass Tech brothers put Michigan in top groups

The brothers from one of the state’s top high schools both released their top seven colleges on Friday.

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Will Detroit (MI) Cass Tech 2021 brothers Kobe and Kalen King end up at the same school again at the next level? It’s certainly possible.

The duo — Kobe is a three-star inside linebacker, rated at No. 452 overall in the 247Sports Composite, whereas Kalen is a four-star cornerback at No. 328 overall — both released their top sevens on Friday, and there are many similarities between them. Though, they are not identical.

As far as Michigan is concerned, however, it’s in a good spot, having made the list for both of the defensive standouts from one of the top schools in the state of Michigan.

Per his tweet, Kalen intends to commit next Friday, April 10, though Kobe didn’t signify when he plans to make his pledge, just noting ‘soon.’

For both, Michigan is battling Penn State, Wisconsin, Arkansas and Iowa whereas Kalen has Nebraska and Mizzou and Kobe has Minnesota and Iowa State on his list.

Wisconsin Makes Kobe King’s Top Seven List

Wisconsin’s football coaching staff learned on Thursday that they made linebacker Kobe King’s top seven list.

Wisconsin currently sits at nine commitments in the 2021 recruiting cycle as the Badgers have already landed some of their top players on their wish list.

One of their top targets that still remain is Kobe King of Detroit Cass Tech in Michigan and this week the Badgers coaching staff learned where they stand in his recruitment.

King released his top seven schools on Thursday and Wisconsin made King’s list.

Wisconsin is listed along with Arkansas, Iowa, Iowa State, Michigan, Minnesota, and Penn State.

King’s twin brother Kalen did the same on Friday and naturally, the two listed some of the same schools in their top seven, which are Arkansas, Iowa, Michigan, and Penn State. Kalen also lists Nebraska and Missouri as his other top two schools.

Kobe is rated as a three-star inside linebacker who currently holds 27 offers while his brother Kalen a four-star cornerback holds a total of 32 offers.

The Badgers currently have three commitments at the linebacker position in Bryan Sanborn, Ayo Adebogun, and Jake Chaney the most recent commitment for the Badgers.

Kobe released his top seven schools in a Twitter post and in his post he said he would be committing soon. Kalen, when he released his top seven, said he would be making a commitment on April 10th.

With Kalen setting an announcement date one could expect that Kobe might announce his commitment on the same day or around that time.

 

 

Michigan ‘speaks for itself’ in Cass Tech 4-star CB Kalen King’s recruitment

Cass Tech cornerback Kalen King’s relationship with Michigan football stems directly from the way head coach Jim Harbaugh treats him.

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Detroit (Mich.) Cass Technical 2021 four-star cornerback Kalen King doesn’t live far from the University of Michigan. It has a “blueprint” that fits everything he stands for as a person and football player.

Some might describe the bond as a perfect match between King and an institution he grew up admiring, but he understands it’s only part of the evaluation process.

And he doesn’t want to rush anything, even despite the coronavirus that has caused the NCAA to call an in-person recruiting dead period through April 15.

“All the schools that have offered me stand out,” King told WolverinesWire. “Michigan speaks for itself, has the blueprint and is not far from home.”

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The 5-foot-11, 170-pound defensive back has 33 offers, including from Michigan, Michigan State, Wisconsin, Penn State, Pittsburgh, Missouri, Minnesota, Kentucky, Louisville, Iowa, Iowa State, Colorado and Arkansas.

King’s relationship with Michigan stems directly from the way head coach Jim Harbaugh treats him. They spoke on the phone Wednesday to stay in contact even though COVID-19 has made it impossible for recruits and coaches to meet.

“Those are my guys,” he said of U-M’s staff. “I’ve been talking to the staff for a while.”

Being that Michigan was King’s first “big offer,” as he described it, the cornerback said the Wolverines will always hold a special place in his heart.

“It feels different because they surprised me when they offered,” King said. “I feel as if they really want me as a recruit and person.”

The coronavirus has led King to wonder if he should commit early or wait until later. Right now, he doesn’t know what to do.

He’s leaned heavily on his former teammates Devin Nicholson and Jalen Graham for advice. Nicholson plays for Missouri, while Graham is at Purdue.

“They’re just asking as mentors for me during the process,” King said.

King is ranked No. 327 in the nation, No. 24 at cornerback and No. 10 in Michigan, according to the 247Sports composite.

Contact/FollowΒ @WolverinesWire/ @EvanPetzold