Penn State football’s latest transfer portal addition is a guy that fans should know.
On Sunday, King Mack announced that he’s returning to Penn State.
Mack started his college career at Penn State as a true freshman in 2023.
He then entered the transfer portal in the spring of 2024 and landed at Alabama.
In what looks to be his lone season at Alabama, Mack played in nine games on defense, totaling 106 snaps. 38 of those snaps came in the team’s loss at Tennessee Oct. 19.Aside from that, his season-high was just 19, which took place Week 1 in a 63-0 squeaker over Western Kentucky.
So it’s fair to wonder if leaving Penn State was the right choice for Mack. but regardless, he’s back now.
A POSITION OF NEED
Photo by Matt Lynch, Nittany Sports Now: Jaylen Reed
Add Nittany Sports Now as a preferred source in Google! Click here to add us.For one, Winston (declared for Draft) and Jaylen Reed(out of eligibility) will be gone in 2025, so Penn State will need help at safety even with veteran Zakee Wheatley coming back.
Penn State is already familiar with Mack and has no problem picking up players who initially chose elsewhere (Chop Robinson being the No. 1 example to date).
With this said, Penn State hasd never picked up a transfer who previously left the program. Judging by the fact that Coach James Franklin prefers to let players who enter the portal move on (Beau Pribula), it was hard for some to see the program welcoming back a player who transferred from it. But, anything can happen, and in this case, it did.
WHERE HE FITS
So where does Mack fit in his second stint with Penn State? Considering defensive coordinator Tom Allen likes to run a 4-2-5, it sure seems that Penn State could find a place for him in the starting lineup. Mack also has more experience at safety than any Penn State returner besides Wheatley.
Penn State opens its 2025 season against Nevada Aug. 30 at Beaver Stadium.
