Kobe King Explains Why he Left Penn State

Some may have been curious as to why King left.

Nobody was confused when King’s teammate, Abdul Carter, declared for the draft because, well, Carter may be the No. 1 overall pick.

King has a better chance of going in the last round than the first, so the decision wasn’t as clear-cut. But King– a three-year starter on one of the nation’s premier defenses who rose to team captain status and the unofficial quarterback of the defense by 2024– is confident he made the right choice.

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WHY KING LEFT

Photo by Matt Lynch, Nittany Sports Now: Kobe King

Here’s what King said about why he left.

“Just looking back at my process and the way I prepared throughout my career, I definitely felt like I progressed in certain areas,” he told reporters at his NFL Combine presser Wednesday morning. “Stats, growing as a player, as a man, I just felt I was ready to take the next step and ready to show the next level that I can be one of the best at the next level.”

King’s statistical performance earned him second-team All-Big Ten status.

He finished second on the team to safety Jaylen Reed with 97 tackles and added 8.5 tackles for loss and three sacks.

Although King announced his departure the same day former Penn State DC Tom Allen announced he was leaving for Clemson, he said there was no correlation.

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“I really had my mind set and my gut feeling concrete before it was made public that he was leaving,” King said. “My DC has changed since I was in my freshman year, then with Manny Diaz getting out of here my third year and (Allen) coming, I don’t think coaches leaving steered me to leave Penn State, really.”

Before making his decision, King talked it over with head coach James Franklin and defensive analyst Dan Connor, the latter of which was recently promoted to linebackers coach.

King said both agreed that he was ready to go pro.

“Oh yeah, they definitely agreed with it,” King said. “From their standpoint, all it was was it would be great having me back another year. We had multiple meetings, long talks, but they definitely supported my decision. They would have supported me if I came back as well. They definitely expressed to me how mature I’ve become. How my process has been increasing since I first got here. I (thought) I was a pro and they definitely agreed with it.”

WHAT CAN KING PROVE THIS WEEK?

Penn State linebacker Kobe King lines up against Notre Dame in the CFP semifinals.

So what can King prove this week at Indianapolis?

Right now, he’s projected to go between the fourth and seventh rounds.

The combine was practically made for players with that type of range, and it’s up to King to take advantage of the opportunity.

“This week can do a lot,” King said. “The film might speak for itself, but this week can definitely catapult me higher than where people may think and people may project me. But I’m taking advantage of it, I’m attacking it and I’m ready for it. So I’m just going to show that and exhibit it tomorrow and be ready.“

The linebackers are scheduled to workout between 3 p.m. and 8:30 p.m. Thursday at Lucas Oil Stadium.