Five Key Returners on Defense for Penn State Football in 2022
By Nick Kreiser
Penn State Football cornerback – Joey Porter Jr
Joey Porter Jr might have been the perfect microcosm for Penn State Football in 2021. He started the year very well, but as the season went on, his play went downhill.
Down the stretch, Porter Jr getting called for pass interference seemed like a sure bet each Saturday. It is probably better for a cornerback to be a little over-aggressive than it is for it to be the other way around. Cornerbacks coach Terry Smith will need to clean that up this offseason, along with a few other things.
At six-foot-two with a long wingspan, the redshirt junior cornerback has great size and length to be a lockdown defender. The Nittany Lions need to have a reliable cornerback, as some of the best wide receivers in the country play in the Big Ten, such as Jaxon Smith-NJigba from Ohio State.
If Joey Porter Jr can shut down, or at least limit some of those elite receivers, the Nittany Lions’ defense has a great chance to be successful.
He will likely be paired up with the young Kalen King, who has a bright future, at cornerback. If the two of them, along with Daequan Hardy at nickel, can continue taking strides in the right direction, Penn State Football can once again have one of the best secondaries in the conference.