Justin King is bidding goodbye to Penn State.

A junior cornerback from Gateway High School, King has decided to bypass his final year of college eligibility to enter the NFL draft.

King's move wasn't unexpected.

He earned his bachelor's degree in liberal arts in December, just 35 months after enrolling at Penn State.

King's stepfather, Gateway football coach Terry Smith, said last night the NFL advisory committee told King he would likely be a second-round pick in the draft in April.

The deadline for underclassmen to declare their intentions is tomorrow.

"Justin's happy with his decision," Smith said. "He just felt like he was ready for the next phase of his life. He did the same thing when he graduated from high school early and went to Penn State."

King, 6 feet and 186 pounds, was a first-team, All-Big Ten selection this season, despite battling through a nagging shoulder injury and struggling in a handful of games.

He intercepted two passes and made 49 tackles. King also tied Purdue's Terrell Vinson for the Big Ten lead in passes defensed with 17.

King discussed his future with coach Joe Paterno after last month's Alamo Bowl win against Texas A&M. And King has been in frequent contact with defensive coordinator Tom Bradley, who officially found out yesterday that King wasn't returning.

"We're going to miss him a lot," Bradley said. "But he has his degree and I'm excited for the opportunity he has in front of him. I think Justin has a chance to do some great things in the future.

"He'll always be part of the Penn State family. We'll be rooting real hard for him."

The Sporting News rated King the best cover corner in the Big Ten Conference as a sophomore after he shut down Ohio State's Ted Ginn Jr. and Tennessee's Robert Meachem, two receivers who went on to become first-round NFL draft picks.

NFLDraftScout.com had King rated the top junior cornerback in the country at the start of this past season. But King slipped to No. 8 late in the champaign and he dropped out of the first round.

Smith said King hopes to hire an agent by the end of the month. King has been working out at the Athletes' Performance camp in Tempe, Ariz., in preparation for next month's NFL scouting combine in Indianapolis.

"Justin hopes to have a strong performance at the combine and at Penn State's pro day," said Smith, a receiver who played for Paterno at Penn State from 1988-91. "And, hopefully, he'll be able to improve his stock in the draft."

King did not return a call seeking comment last night, but he hinted after the Alamo Bowl that he might be leaning toward entering the NFL draft.

"Anything goes wrong from here on out, I still have my degree," he said.