The best-ever at Penn State.
Joey Porter, Jr. has that opportunity, some say. To be the most productive, disruptive and effective cornerback at a school which has never been known for them.
Penn State certainly could use that kind of effort for a defense that is piecing itself back together after injuries and graduation losses and through inexperience.
The Nittany Lions definitely need Porter’s ability to cover Big Ten receivers, including some of the best anywhere. Need him in order to take care of business more easily the next two weeks against Ohio University, then at Auburn.
But that style, that confidence and appropriate bravado? They might need that even more.
“This guy” assistant coach Terry Smith said in the spring, “has the potential to be the best we’ve had here. Ever.”
Smith, a former Nittany Lion receiver, quickly went to this caveat: “Now, we used the potential word. So, he’s still got to pull his game together for a full season.”
But what a start for the man who excels at college football’s do-or-die position.
Purdue quarterback Aidan O’Connell targeted him a stunning 14 times in last week’s Penn State victory. Six times Porter broke up the pass play cleanly − a Penn State record and the most registered in any FBS game since 2015.
Porter also led his team with eight tackles.
He recovered a fumble.
He nearly intercepted two passes, the first of which he probably would have returned for a touchdown.
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For his work, he was named the top defensive player in the nation last week.
It was startling, how involved, active, disruptive he was from beginning to end. Beyond how cornerbacks, even the best of them, usually impact a game. Especially at Penn State, where no corner has ever earned first-team All-America honors or has been an NFL first round draft pick.
“I don’t know if (Purdue) necessarily targeted him, but they didn’t avoid him,” coach James Franklin said Tuesday, upon further review. “Joey kept getting tested. And as the game went on, he really played well.”
But this goes beyond that.
Porter’s confidence and presence is critical in facing the top teams in the league, the ones Penn State must rise up and beat, like Ohio State, Michigan and Michigan State. He helps make Penn State feel like the aggressor. His attitude is contagious.
He boosts what may develop into the Lions’ top secondary in recent memory, making everyone around him better. They see how Porter continually attacks and succeeds, overall. How he quickly rallies from a missed opportunity to conquer the next one.
Like how he missed holding that game-changing interception early at Purdue and was later penalized in the end zone − and kept coming strong after each.
NFL scouts and executives already are talking about him as a first-round draft pick next year. Because of his size and those extra-long arms to entangle receivers … and that swagger and confidence that he backs up.
He said this in the spring: “I feel like I had a pretty solid resume the past two years, but (now) I really want to dominate.”
After Purdue? “If they want to keep trying me, I have to make them pay.”
This is what an NFC East personnel executive recently told Heavy.com: “Joey Porter Jr. is a big-time prospect and he’ll definitely be a first-round pick. He’s legit. He’s easily Penn State’s best NFL prospect, and a starting caliber NFL corner.”
Others are saying similar things because of those unique physical attributes, his study of the game, that demeanor.
Playing a position where one bad step or move leads to an opponent touchdown.
That’s OK with Porter, he seems to thrive on it. And he backs it up, even if a team tests him 14 times in one night.
That should send a message to future opponents who may prefer to look to the other side of the field. Which, again, only helps Penn State.
Something rarely seen here, in that exact form.
The right person to help push everyone else past two lost seasons.
Frank Bodani covers Penn State football for the York Daily Record and USA Today Network. Contact him at fbodani@ydr.com and follow him on Twitter @YDRPennState.
