Everybody knows Justin King is fast. And surely no one, not even speedy teammates like A.J. Wallace, would dare challenge him in a 40-yard-dash.

"No one on the team wants to mess with me in the 40, so that's never come out," he said.

But King, a rising junior cornerback with electric speed, said he's bulked up and will bring a level of physicality to the Penn State secondary. King said he's gained eight or nine pounds since last season and, perhaps more importantly, is more comfortable with his role in the secondary.

"He can throw a hand on you and throw you off balance because he's fast and can run with anybody," rising junior wide receiver Derrick Williams said. "I think the biggest thing this year is his strength."

Along with Williams, Wallace and Devin Fentress, King spent time working with the Penn State track team in the winter. While running track about two-and-a-half months ago, he said he "tweaked" his left hamstring. The injury forced him into the weight room and helped him focus on adding mass.

Rising junior linebacker Sean Lee said King's strength and tackling ability has improved from last year. In fact, in one practice, King charged from his Cover 2 coverage and made a hard hit in the flat. It left an impression on Lee.

"I've never seen him hit that hard," he said. "I think his tackling has improved a ton."

The size might help, but King said having a year's experience starting at cornerback will help, too.

A second-team All-Big Ten selection last year, he started every game at the right cornerback spot.

But as a freshman, King was mainly used as an offensive weapon. On defense, he was sparingly used as a nickelback.

"Corner spot -- it's one thing to play it when you're a reserve or nickelback and all that pressure's not on you," he said. "It's another thing to start on corner and play every snap of the game. So it's just a growing thing. I'm getting more comfortable and it's a great feeling. It's definitely an experience thing. It was some things you weren't used to seeing. It moves a lot faster ... You don't know what you're going to do out there.

He said, "[I'm] just playing a little more fearless, not afraid to mess up. Just try to play with more force and more of a physical presence."

In fact, experience extends to the whole secondary. Rising juniors Tony Davis, a safety, and Anthony Scirrotto, a first-team All-Big Ten safety last year, return after starting last season.

"It's our second year playing together," King said, "and were just having a great time."

Defensive line notes

King and Lee said yesterday that the competition for starting spots on the defensive line is intense. So far, they said, a few have asserted themselves.

Rising sophomore defensive tackle Phil Taylor's name has been one of the most consistently mentioned.

"After a while you can tell that Phil is just a force in there," King said. "He's a huge person. By far the biggest person on our team."

Rising redshirt freshman Abe Koroma and rising sophomore Jared Odrick, both defensive tackles, have also been mentioned in clotting up activity in the middle.

"I think they've done really, really well," Lee said. "They're young and extremely athletic ... Sometimes, I'm watching and they're closing gaps for me."

Linebacker notes

Also, competition for the third linebacker position along side Lee and rising senior Dan Connor, appears to have narrowed itself to rising redshirt freshman Navarro Bowman and rising junior Tyrell Sales.

"Navarro is a freaky type athlete, too -- extremely quick," King said. "Toss up between those two, it's going to come down to the little things."