A.J. Wallace knew something was up when the apartment he shared with Justin King on Pollock Road began to look a little more spacious after last football season. While other teammates were shuffling belongings around, moving to different apartments, King was packing up his things.

Wallace knew his friend was moving out.

Throughout the 2007 season, fans and coaches, scouts and experts wondered if King would stay at Penn State for his senior year, but Wallace had the inside scoop.

For months, Wallace had heard what everyone else had heard -- his friend might jump ship to the NFL. After all, King graduated in December and was being touted as a first- or second-round draft pick.

So Wallace asked him: "Is it time?"

King responded: "Yeah."

And that was it.

The player Wallace learned the most from -- watching him on gameday, practicing with him during the week, working out with him after practices and watching film and chatting football with him at home -- was gone. Destined now for the St. Louis Rams.

"You always want someone to do well that you know," Wallace said. "I didn't take it like an insult that he was leaving or anything like that, I just took it like he knows he's ready to step up to the next level."

Wallace said King's exodus for the NFL inspired him -- he's ready to earn a permanent starting spot on what was once King's side of the defense. But Penn State defensive coordinator Tom Bradley already considers Wallace a starter.

Last season Wallace made 33 tackles, broke up nine passes, intercepted a pass and recovered three fumbles playing in Bradley's nickel package at corner.

Next fall, Bradley says, Wallace will be called upon more often and in multiple situations.

"Every year that you play, more is expected of you," Bradley said Tuesday. "[A.J.]'s one of the guys that's played back there as much as anybody and it's a chance that he's got to take the bull by the horns and get going and get after it."

In addition to playing defense, the 6-foot-1, 188-pound Wallace showed his ability to burn kickoff teams last fall. He racked up 581 yards and averaged 26.4 yards each time he fielded a kick, good for third best in the Big Ten. Wallace's best return came against the Ohio State coverage team when he scooted 97 yards to the end zone.

Mention the most dangerous job in football -- catching a kickoff with 11 players bearing down on you at once -- and Wallace's eyes light up in the players' lounge at the Lasch Football Building. He leans forward on a couch in front of a big TV.

His response when asked if he likes to return kickoffs is quick: "Yeah. Absolutely."

For now, though, Wallace said his primary focus is on becoming a better cornerback -- like King. But his quest to replace his friend at corner got tougher earlier this spring when he suffered an injury that kept him out of practice.

While running one-on-one drills, Wallace was covering a teammate and knew the route before the receiver cut. Wallace jumped the route for the pick, but his legs gave out. The receiver tumbled over him, landing on Wallace's helmet, causing it to come off and hit him in the chin. The impact was hard enough to break a bone in his jaw and cause his bottom teeth to cut through his lower lip.

The injury also forced Wallace to miss the team's Blue-White game, an event he planned for himself as a coming-out moment. He was disappointed he couldn't play, but took the time to visit with family and friends.

One of them was King.

At the game, it was a familiar sight on the sidelines. King and Wallace talk and laugh, save for the fact that neither wore football pads.

But Wallace, complete with stitches in his lip and bonding compound in his jaw, still wore a blue jersey. It wasn't the No. 12 fans were used to seeing him wear, but it was a number they were familiar with -- King's No. 1.

On the couch in the players' lounge, Wallace says he's trying to get bigger, trying to be more physical for this coming season. He wants to follow his friend's path.

"I'm putting all my focus and my efforts on corner so I can craft my skills," he said, "so I can be in the situation that Justin [was] in and go to the draft."