To celebrate the upcoming new year, and new decade, we’ll be offering a retrospective here at NittanyWhiteOut.  Over the next two weeks, we’ll reveal all the members of NittanyWhiteOut’s All-Decade team, comprising of the best Penn Staters from 2000-2009.  Don’t agree with our picks? Let your voice be heard in the comments!  We continue today with a look back at Penn State’s cornerbacks of the past decade.

Penn State’s defense is almost always one of the best in the country, and it was that way even during the rough years in the early part of this decade.  Even in 2004, a 4-8 season that featured a 7-game losing streak, the Lions were the only team in the country to not allow more than 21 points in a single game.  Though Tom Bradley’s defenses are never flashy, they always have the intrinsic ability to keep the Lions in games.  Just like Penn State’s uniforms, coach, and tradition, the Lions’ defense is a throwback to a simpler time, before the spread offense and before the Wildcat. The Cover-3 doesn’t allow cornerbacks to stand out, but our selections below did everything they were asked to and then some, earning themselves nominations to NittanyWhiteOut’s All-Decade team.

Alan Zemaitis (2002-2005) is one of the few defensive backs in Penn State history who didn’t shrink into to the system, but rather stood out, even as the Cover-3 seeks to minimize the importance of the cornerback.  Instead, Zemaitis shone throughout his four years, starting virtually every game in his college career, and practically taking away an entire half of the field every time the quarterback dropped back to pass.  When tested, Zemaitis thrived, picking off 12 passes in his Penn State career, tied for 5th among all Nittany Lions, and his 207 interception return yards in 2003 set Penn State and Big Ten records.  Thrice named an All-Big Ten player, Zemaitis was twice named a finalist for the Jim Thorpe award, presented to the top defensive back in the nation, and as a senior was named a 2nd-team All American.  Zemaitis might be best remembered for his performance in the 2005 season finale when he picked off Drew Stanton 3 times.  Drafted in the 4th round by Tampa Bay in 2006, Zemaitis never found the same success in the professional ranks as he did in college, but his selection to Penn State’s all-decade team was one of the easiest we made.

Justin King (2005-2007) might never have had the career at Penn State that some expected after his lofty rankings in the recruiting process, but you’d be hard-pressed to find many Nittany Lion corners who played better.  King came to Penn State with considerable fanfare after being named the player of the year from the state of Pennylvania, and as the top cornerback  in the country coming out of high school.  As a freshman, King split time between the offensive and defensive sides of the ball, utilizing his superior speed to help the team any way he could, and was named a Sporting News freshman All-American for his work.  After Derrick Williams went down with an injury, King shifted to wide receiver full time, and was a dynamic triple-threat weapon for Penn State, carrying the ball 18 times for 227 yards, for 12.6 average, along with 10 receptions for 126 yards and two touchdowns and even returned kicks for the Lions.  After shifting to the other side of the ball, King excelled, starting every game as a true sophomore and found himself named a second-team All Big Ten player, as well as an academic All-Conference selection.  After his junior season, King declared for the draft, having graduated in less than 3 years. Drafted in the 4th round by St. Louis in 2008, King has battled injuries, but, now healthy, is the team’s nickelback.

Honorable Mentions: Rich Gardner (we’ll put him at nickelback), Bhawoh Jue, Tony Davis

Releated Posts:

1. The Penn State All-Decade Team: Safety
2. The Penn State All-Decade Team: Tight End
3. The Penn State All-Decade Team: Center
4. The Penn State All-Decade Team: Guards
5. The Penn State All-Decade Team: Defensive Ends

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