When Penn State travels to Detroit to take on Michigan State on Friday night, it will be a homecoming of sorts for redshirt sophomore linebacker Kobe King, who came to Happy Valley from the Motor City three years ago.
King, along with his twin brother and star cornerback Kalen, are no strangers to Ford Field, either. The middle linebacker shared that he's played in the home stadium of the Detroit Lions twice in little league, but did not come out victorious in either ga,e. King and Penn State will have an opportunity to change that on Friday.
Penn State's defensive brother tandem is expected to have a rather large contingency of friends and family members in attendance for the regular season finale, which makes this opportunity even sweeter.
"This game means a lot just to close it out in my hometown and close out the regular season at Ford Field," King said. "Definitely that'd be a big win for just myself, my team and you know, it'd be great at home with family and friends there and a lot of people supporting me."
Playing in his home town is a fitting way to end what has been a building block year for Kobe King, who is in the midst of his first season as a starter for the Nittany Lions at middle linebacker. After seeing action as a reserve in 2023, King has taken the next step in his career, solidifying himself as a regular contributor in Manny Diaz's defense, especially down the stretch.
Over his first six games this season, King got on the field for just 117 defensive snaps (less than 20 per game) as a rotational piece. That number has now ballooned up to 195 snaps across the last five games, as King continues to realize an increased role with the Nittany Lions.
King has set new career-highs in tackles in each of the last two weeks against Michigan (nine) and Rutgers (10), while leading the defense in total tackles with 49 on the season. He has also racked up five tackles for loss and 1.5 sacks from his middle linebacker post.
It wasn't a shock to the former four-star recruit out of Cass Tech, who saw more time on third down as the season progressed, eventually leading to an increase in focus and playing time for one of the best defenses in the nation.
"I kind of knew or kind of seen it coming just with me taking a bigger role on third down in games, you know, in nickel, in our nickel packages and just being on the field a little more. I kind of took a chip on my shoulder, kind of dialed in on the details of things," King said. "I would say I'm definitely taking the steps in the right direction just with my role increasing this year a lot."
Head coach James Franklin has been pleased with his redshirt sophomore linebacker's progression this season, rattling off a litany of areas King has improved upon in just his first year as a starter.
"I just think he's done a really good job in year one as a starter, getting better every single week, playing with more confidence, taking control the defense not only physically but verbally, being the quarterback of the defense, playing a physical brand of football," Franklin said.
An expanded role has also helped King grow into more of a leadership role with the Nittany Lions' defense this season as a result of the confidence he's built in recent weeks. King now feels that he is a voice that teammates will listen to and can back it up with his play on the field.
"It's helping me build my confidence as we get ready to close the season," King said. "It's kind of just to a point where I can just help younger guys around me and be the voice that people want to hear and listen and just be the best player for my teammates and for the coaches," King said.
"Off the field, like I'm a guy that kind of that kind of bonds with a lot of guys and kind of builds relationships with a lot of guys. So I would say I have have a bigger voice among those players and teammates in the locker room," King said. "Without having a captain title, I would say that I kind of took it upon myself to kind of create that role myself, just with being an older guy and younger guys looking up to me."
Franklin sees King as someone who is primed for yet another step forward in his career moving into next season, with the potential to become one of the top linebackers in the country and even set himself up to go to the next level.
"I think he's put himself in really good position to finish this year strong and then also be one of those guys that you know, we're focusing on for next year. And I think a lot of people will be focusing on as an exciting, an exciting prospect with the middle linebacker position in the Big Ten, nationally, and then down the road as well," Franklin said.
King will look to cap off his strong 2023 campaign at Ford Field when the Nittany Lions take on Michigan State for the Land Grant Trophy on Friday night.
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