James Franklin reveals Kalen King's status for the Peach Bowl

There was some speculation if Kalen King would play for Penn State or not in this weekend’s Peach Bowl.

James Franklin, however, revealed at the Peach Bowl press conference on Tuesday that the junior cornerback will be suiting up for the Nittany Lions to face Ole Miss.

“We’ve tried to create an environment where really there’s no reason for any player to opt out,” Franklin said via social media post from The Daily Collegian’s Seth Engle.

James Franklin is here, and so was Kalen King at Penn State’s practice today. He’ll play in the bowl, which was in question before.

Franklin is excited to have him still in the program for “one more game” pic.twitter.com/tnrtgfRNgK

— Max Ralph (@maxralph_) December 26, 2023

King recorded 29 tackles and two pass deflections for the Nittany Lions. In his 3 seasons with Penn State, the junior has 80 tackles, 3 interceptions, 22 pass deflections and 2 forced fumbles.

The No. 10 Nittany Lions went 10-2 during the regular season, which included a 6-0 mark to start out.

Penn State is set to take on No. 11 Ole Miss in the Peach Bowl at noon Saturday on ESPN. The game kicks off a full schedule of bowl games, including the Music City Bowl, the Orange Bowl and the Arizona Bowl.