Porter Jr. hopes to build on fine debut
Joey Porter Jr.’s head was in Happy Valley last weekend as his Nittany Lions kicked off training camp for what will be the cornerback’s third season at Penn State.
However, his heart — at least part of it was in Canton, Ohio, where his father was attending Pro Football Hall of Fame induction ceremonies for his former coach, Bill Cowher, and two of his former teammates, Troy Polamalu and Alan Faneca.
For the younger Porter, the parade of Steelers alltimers across the Tom Benson Hall of Fame Stadium stage was a reminder of the greatness he experienced while growing up.
“That’s a big accomplishment,” he said Saturday during media day at Beaver Stadium. “That’s every football player’s goal, to be inducted into the Hall of Fame. Nothing but congrats to them.
“My family knows Troy Polamalu’s family really well, so I’m proud of him and everything he’s done.”
Now Porter is looking to show he can continue to channel that greatness into his own game after what was an impressive redshirt freshman season.
The North Allegheny product burst onto the scene in the Nittany Lions’ season-opening loss to Indiana a year ago, recording five tackles and registering his first college sack in the first quarter.
His team went on to lose four more games before finishing on a four-game winning streak, but Porter’s play was consistently solid.
He started eight of nine games, notching 25 tackles and earning third-team AllBig Ten recognition from the media to go with an honorable mention from the coaches.
He also earned Big Ten freshman of the week honors following his seven -tackle performance in a 23-7 win over Rutgers on Dec. 5.
Not a bad start. And not a bad foundation for what he hopes will be even greater success in 2021.
For now, Porter appears locked into the starting corner job opposite All-Big Ten teammate Tariq Castro-Fields in a loaded Penn State secondary that also includes All-American safety Jaquan Brisker.
Those two will probably continue to get most of the headlines, but Porter feels he can hold his own and make his share of plays.
“I feel like I improved a lot over the year,” Porter said. “I worked on my zone game a lot, and I feel like I really dived into the playbook and learned the playbook in and out. So just being able to do that has brought me a lot of confidence in my playing style and made me feel more comfortable.”
By season’s end, he hopes he’s with those teammates in the conversation about the Big Ten’s best defensive backs.
If that happens, his visibility in the locker room will probably be elevated, too, as the defense’s many senior leaders begin to transition out of the program.
Porter believes he’ll be ready to pick up that leadership mantle over time. Just don’t look for it to happen in his father’s brash style with those Super Steelers of the 2000s.
“My dad had a big persona,” Porter said. “He was a more riled up, more inyour-face type of guy. I’m kind of more chilled back.
“I mainly get riled up when I’m on the field. That’s when you see me more amped up and in your face. I’m more of that on the field, but off the field, I’m relaxed. Calm.”