It’s the time of year when college football players at Penn State and other major programs are asked about their futures.
Penn State LB Kobe King was asked about his during a pre-College Football Playoff press conference Tuesday afternoon.
Minutes later, DT Zane Durant was asked the same question.
As expected, King— who has one year of eligibility left— didn’t announce a decision one way or the other. Nor did Durant, who also has a season of eligibility left.
For King and Durant, the focus is on SMU, and he’s not thinking much about his future at the moment.
Penn State would certainly love to have either one of them— or both— back.
WHY KING IS IMPORTANT
Kobe King leads the Nittany Lions defense out of the Lucas Oil Stadium tunnel ahead of warmups.
Add Nittany Sports Now as a preferred source in Google! Click here to add us.King is one of Penn State football’s leaders, as evidenced by him being a team captain. Through 13 games, the MIKE linebacker has 72 tackles, which are second on the team behind safety Jaylen Reed, who’s out of eligibility after this season. The Big Ten acknowledged both King and Reed for their efforts by naming them unanimous second-team all-conference selections. With in-helmet communication now being a thing in college football, King is the one who’s had to have the microphone in his helmet. He’s handled it well.
WHY DURANT IS IMPORTANT
Photo by Matt Lynch, Nittany Sports Now: Penn State DL Zane Durant
Unlike King and Reed, Durant wasn’t named to either the Big Ten’s first or second-teams. That confused people, because Durant has become arguably one of the best defensive tackles in college football. He doubled his tackles from 17 to 35, and even playing on the interior, has 22 pressures, which is third on the team.
Durant was named to the third team but many felt that wasn’t enough.
Penn State takes on SMU Saturday, Dec. 21 at Beaver Stadium. Kickoff is scheduled for noon on TNT and HBOMax.
