Jon King arrived at Penn State as a high-scoring offensive player. At Corner Canyon High School in Utah, he had played attack, produced a 161-point season, and helped his team win consecutive state championships. His college career eventually took a very different turn.
After limited action during his freshman season, Penn State moved King into short-stick defensive midfield. He accepted a role he hadn’t expected and gradually became a regular contributor. By 2026, he was a team captain, an All-Big Ten selection, and an All-American recognized by three major lacrosse organizations.
| Category | Details |
|---|---|
| College | Penn State |
| Position | Short-stick defensive midfielder |
| Hometown | Draper, Utah |
| High school | Corner Canyon High School |
| High-school scoring milestone | 161 points: 112 goals and 49 assists |
| Team role | Penn State captain |
| Big Ten honor | Second-Team All-Big Ten |
| National honors | All-America selections from USA Lacrosse, Inside Lacrosse and USILA |
Jon King First Built His Reputation as a High-Scoring Attackman
King’s route to Penn State began well before he became known for defensive midfield play. He spent part of his childhood around State College, Pennsylvania, before his family moved to Utah when he was 14. In a later interview with USA Lacrosse, King recalled that he and his father initially did not know what level of lacrosse they would find there. Corner Canyon ultimately became the place where his high school career accelerated.
King had played midfield while growing up, but Corner Canyon shifted him to right-handed attack. During the 2021 season, he recorded 112 goals and 49 assists for 161 points, a total confirmed by both Penn State and USA Lacrosse. That production came during a state-championship season for Corner Canyon.
The success continued during his senior year. Corner Canyon defeated American Fork 15-10 on May 27, 2022, giving the program another Utah 6A championship. King scored the opening goal of that title game.
His senior season also brought individual recognition. Deseret News named him its 2022 6A Boys Lacrosse Player of the Year, an award based on the publication’s high-school coverage and coaches’ voting. Exact statistical totals for his 2022 season differ across reputable records, so the championship and Player of the Year honor provide the clearest verified picture of his final high-school campaign.
His Recruiting Path Eventually Led Him to Penn State
Penn State was not King’s original college destination. USA Lacrosse reported that he initially committed to Saint Joseph’s during his junior year of high school.
USA Lacrosse reported that Penn State head coach Jeff Tambroni saw King playing at a Maverik showcase before his senior year, contacted King’s father, and began recruiting him. King later said he discussed recruitment directly with USA Lacrosse.
The connection also brought him back toward familiar territory. Although he had developed into a prominent player in Utah, King had previously lived around State College before moving west as a teenager.
When he joined Penn State, he still carried an offensive identity. The university listed him as an attack/midfield player during his freshman season in 2023, when he appeared in three games. At that stage, his early record gave little indication that defensive midfield would become the role most closely associated with his college career.
Penn State Moved King Into a Defensive Midfield Role
The significant change came after his freshman season. USA Lacrosse reported that after King added size following his freshman season, Penn State’s coaching staff approached him about moving into defensive midfield.
King told USA Lacrosse that becoming a defensive midfielder was not something he had expected when he entered college. Instead of resisting the change, he approached it as a role he needed to learn and adapt to.
That move placed different demands on a player whose most visible high school numbers had come from scoring and creating offense. Rather than being judged primarily by goals and assists, he increasingly contributed through ground balls, caused turnovers, and transition play.
By 2024, the change had become established. King appeared in 13 games for Penn State and earned Academic All-Big Ten recognition. The season represented a significant increase in his involvement after only three appearances as a freshman.
His offensive background did not disappear completely. King later explained that when transition opportunities developed, he was willing to shoot when he believed he had a strong chance and otherwise looked to move the ball. That mix of defensive responsibility and prior attacking experience became especially visible later in his Penn State career.
His Defensive Breakthrough Came During the 2025 Season
King’s junior season provided the clearest statistical evidence that he had firmly established himself in his new position.
He appeared in all 17 Penn State games in 2025, collecting 50 ground balls and 15 caused turnovers. Penn State consistently records those defensive totals, but its published 2025 offensive scoring figures are inconsistent across its materials.
Playing short-stick defensive midfield required him to contribute without the scoring volume that had defined his years at Corner Canyon. His role instead centered on possessions, defensive pressure, and helping move the play in the other direction after stops.
The 2025 season also set up a larger leadership role the following year. By then, his college career had moved far beyond the limited freshman appearances that preceded his position change.
Captaincy and the No. 11 Jersey Marked His 2026 Role
Ahead of the 2026 season, Penn State named King a captain alongside Ryan O’Connor and Michael Faraone. The program also selected him to wear No. 11, a jersey Penn State lacrosse associates with perseverance through adversity.
In his USA Lacrosse interview, King credited former Penn State teammates Grant Haus, Jack Posey, Kevin Parnham, Jack Fracyon, and Matt Traynor with shaping how he approached leadership and contributed to the team.
That period of his college career also included serious personal circumstances that King chose to discuss publicly. USA Lacrosse reported that his mother, Reauelle King, was diagnosed with cancer in August 2024 and died on January 17, 2025, at age 52.
King recalled that his mother encouraged him to continue pursuing his own life during her illness. He also spoke about the support he received from Penn State coaches and teammates following her death. Those comments provide direct context for a difficult period in his college years without requiring assumptions about his private grieving process.
By 2026, his responsibilities at Penn State therefore extended beyond simply filling a defensive position. He had become one of the players formally entrusted with team leadership.
King Finished His Senior Season With Conference and National Recognition
King’s 2026 season produced the strongest collection of honors of his Penn State career.
On March 21, Penn State defeated Maryland 10-6, holding the Terrapins to six goals. King recorded three ground balls and two caused turnovers in the victory. Three days later, the Big Ten named him co-Defensive Player of the Week.
Conference recognition continued in April. Big Ten head coaches selected him to the 2026 All-Big Ten Second Team at short-stick defensive midfield.
His offensive background also surfaced at an important point in postseason play. In Penn State’s April 30 Big Ten semifinal against Maryland, King scored the eventual game-winning goal in an 8-6 victory. Penn State noted that it was his third goal in four games.
Two days later, the Nittany Lions defeated Johns Hopkins 16-8 to win the 2026 Big Ten Tournament championship, the program’s second tournament title and its first since 2019. King led that run as a senior captain.
Penn State then advanced into the NCAA Tournament, defeating Army 10-6 in the first round before facing top-seeded Princeton in the quarterfinals. Princeton won 14-10 on May 17, 2026, ending Penn State’s season.
By that point, King had also gained national recognition for his work at short-stick defensive midfield. USA Lacrosse named him a Third-Team All-American, while Inside Lacrosse selected him to its Second Team. The USILA later placed him on its Third-Team All-America list.
By the end of the 2026 season, King had received conference and national recognition specifically for the defensive midfield role he adopted after his first year.