Up Close With PSR:
Justin King

By the time this issue hits the streets, Gateway senior Justin King will be a Penn State freshman. The 5-11, 186-pound King graduates from high school in January, six months early, to get a head start on his career as a Nittany Lion. Probably the nation's top cornerback prospect, King was named Gatorade Pennsylvania Player of the Year and has also been selected to play in the prestigious U.S. Army All-American Bowl. PSR editor Tony DeFazio sat down with King in the Gateway High School athletic office.

PSR: At the press conference when you announced your intentions to attend Penn State, you mentioned the opportunity to help rebuild the program. What else went into your decision? 

King: I was really comfortable with the coaches and I knew that everything they were telling me was the truth because my stepfather (Gateway head coach and former Penn State player Terry Smith) went through it before. The playing time looks great, and there is also the chance to rebuild the program, like I said before. Everything just came out with Penn State on top.

PSR: You talked about Penn State being a "sleeping giant." Why do you feel that way?

JK: If you look at the football team, they have really good talent. But you can't really do much without skill players. And they have all the ingredients to have a good football team, except a few skill players.

Everybody's young. The defense is top 10 in the country (11th overall) and they're almost all coming back too. Defense wins championships, now they just need the offense to win some games.

They never got blown out, so it's like they are right on the edge. And if you look at it, that's how USC was just a few years ago and now look at them - they're on top. Everything goes though cycles and I'd rather join a team that's entering an upward cycle instead of jumping onto a team that's already on top.

PSR: Why did you decide to graduate early?

JK: One of my main goals is to eventually play in the NFL, and if that happens within three years then I want to have my degree when I get out of college. So this gives me a jump-start on my academics and then it gives me a jump-start on football. In six months when all the other freshmen come in, I'll already be caught up, so it also gives me a better opportunity to start as a freshman.

Spring practice will be very valuable because I'm going to know the system. I'll be able to go through any learning slumps and brain locks in the spring. Plus, I'll be able to get my work done that first semester and concentrate on academics without stressing over a game every Saturday.

PSR: Did Penn State present that opportunity to you or did you go to them?

JK: We were thinking about it, especially when John David Booty (quarterback for Southern Cal) left a whole year early. I wasn't going to leave a whole year early, but I thought a half year sounded good. I can come back for my prom and stuff, so I'm not really missing anything but classes - and I'll be in classes up there.

When I went up there to watch spring practice, the thought was in the back of my mind, and then Fran Ganter told me that I should think about doing that, so we all talked it over and it just worked out.

PSR: How do you deal with and sort through all the negatives that you hear from college coaches during the recruiting process?

JK: I just looked at what was important to me. I'm the one who's going to be going to school there for four years; the people saying those things won't be living in my apartment with me, going to my classes or going to my workouts, so I just looked to see what was important to me.

PSR: Is there a fine line when it comes to the negatives? Can some schools get on your bad side by going negative?

JK: It didn't really get that way. Most of the schools, I think their new thing is not to put down other schools, but to say, "Hey we're so good we don't have to put down other schools."

I think maybe it's changed a little bit.

Sometimes we're smarter than they give us credit for.