Speedy Northeast linebacker Ken Talley brings a do-it-all mentality to Penn State

Just one day before Northeast High School was set to begin its training camp for the 2021 season, Vikings defensive coordinator Seth Shapiro approached Ken Talley with an idea.

The player set to play the Mike (middle) linebacker for Northeast, who had been taking reps all summer, had left the team. Shapiro needed someone to take on the position and the responsibility it demanded.

So, Shapiro turned to Talley, a senior who showed no hesitation toward the position switch. Although edge rusher was his first position, Talley quickly proved that his on-field talent wasn’t limited to just one spot on the field.

“He just stepped in as the Mike linebacker,” Shapiro said. “Taught him the position during training camp, and he was just unbelievable. First game he had like 15 tackles and was just a natural at it. … He just ran with it and loved it.”

That wasn’t the last time Talley would switch positions to help his team. By the time the season was over, Talley had taken carries out of the backfield as a running back, switched jerseys to block as a lineman, and had thrown a jump pass as a wildcat quarterback.

The various positions that Talley filled throughout the season showcased the lead-by-example leadership that the 6-foot-3 rusher brought to the Vikings.

“He changed our program moving forward,” Northeast coach Eric Clark said. “Sacrificing and putting a 50s number on and blocking on the offensive line and then playing running back. … He just did it all.

“Our saying is, ‘If Ken Talley can do it, everybody else can.’ He made it so that other guys can understand to be selfless people in the true definition of teamwork, and that was awesome.”

Playing a variety of positions also helped showcase the Philadelphia native’s speed and quickness. Much of that athleticism can be credited to his first two years in high school, when he learned how to play the edge rusher position while undersize.

“I always adapted to my weight,” Talley said. “I never really thought about being too big. … I was always a finesse player.”

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Now listed at 6-foot-3 and 238 pounds, Talley has grown into his frame and signed with Penn State. He hasn’t strayed away from his original style of play, however, and his quickness is still his primary weapon.

“I think the best part of my game is my hands and my speed,” Talley said. “I get across the edge very fast. I believe that when someone throws their hands out, they won’t touch me because my hands [are] faster.”

Another aspect of Talley’s athletic profile is his track and field background. Talley arrived at Northeast in the middle of his freshman year after playing football that fall with Bishop McDevitt in Wyncote, Montgomery County. He came to the school ahead of track season and competed under Clark, who was also serving as the Vikings’ track and field coach at the time.

During that spring’s state championship meet, a freshman Talley ran the first leg for Northeast’s 4x100-meter relay. While Talley’s speed stood out to Clark, it wasn’t the first time that the coach had seen Talley’s talent on display. In fact, Clark had known Talley since Talley was born.

When Clark was a track athlete at Northeast, he competed against Talley’s father, Kenneth Talley Sr., who ran for Simon Gratz. The pair also competed alongside each other on a club track team. After they graduated, Clark and Talley remained in touch and continued to be close friends.

That close relationship proved helpful in the younger Talley’s transition to Northeast as a freshman. Though he was joining a new school, Clark was a familiar face for the Talley family.

“I knew that [Eric] Clark had a position over at Northeast and that it would be a good fit for [Ken] because that father-figure type was going to be in the building,” the elder Talley said.

Talley’s arrival at Northeast coincided with the start of his recruiting. His first Power 5 offer came from the University of Pittsburgh that April, and by the time Talley’s sophomore season rolled around, he had offers from the likes of Texas A&M, Penn State, and Michigan.

He had also skyrocketed up the recruiting rankings. The four-star player was consistently ranked as a top-25 edge rusher nationally and as a top-10 player in the state.

That early recruiting attention was originally a surprise to Talley, who at that point still had much of his high school football left to play.

“Coming in as a freshman, I [thought] that being a junior is when you get really recruited,” Talley said. “So, getting recruited early was special.”

As Talley’s recruitment heated up, so did his interest in Penn State.

“I’ve been to a lot of different schools, so it was really exciting and one of the best times of my life,” Talley said. “But as soon as I got to Penn State, it was different. It was incomparable to all the other schools.”

Part of that related to game atmosphere. Among the many Penn State games that Talley has attended are a pair of White Out games. After getting a glimpse of them, Talley was sold.

“The White Out game, being inside the stadium is just different the way the crowd is rocking,” Talley said. “I heard the crowd when I got off the bus maybe like 1,000 feet away from the stadium. … It’s just a totally different atmosphere. The ground is shaking the first couple of plays of the game.”

The elder Talley said: “He always knew he wanted to go to Penn State. He wasn’t going anywhere else.”

The start of Talley’s Penn State career has been a long time coming, with Talley’s having committed to the Nittany Lions in September 2020. Ahead of his freshman season, he will compete for Team Pennsylvania in the Big 33 Football Classic in Harrisburg on Monday.

“Right now, I’m just trying to get up to State, learn the plays, and get on the field early,” Talley said. “I’ll set more goals for the season when it gets close. I just need to lock in first and improve my game.”