A key veteran for Penn State is entering the transfer portal.
Matt Zenitz and Chris Hummer of 247Sports reported Friday morning— the first day the portal is officially open— that King Mack has entered.
This is a big loss.
With Zakee Wheatley and Antoine Belgrave-Shorter getting the starting safety spots at the beginning of the year, people wondered what Mack’s role would be. He ended up becoming one of Penn State’s most valuable defenders, logging 458 snaps, which was the most of any Penn State safety behind Wheatley. He ended the season fourth on Penn State in tackles fourth on Penn State in tackles with 58 (26 solo), adding three pass breakups, an interception and a quarterback hurry.
Mack was also a factor on special teams, returning a kickoff 74 yards against Nevada.
Perhaps most importantly, Mack became a leader for Penn State, and ended up giving maybe the most memorable player quote of the season.
Before the team’s Pinstripe Bowl against Clemson, Mack talked about some of the things that went wrong in 2025, and mentioned the leaked audio of Athletic Director Pat Kraft as an example.
Add Nittany Sports Now as a preferred source in Google! Click here to add us.Leaked Audio of Pat Kraft Talking With Penn State Players Surfaces
“100 percent — that should have never been broadcasted,” Mack said. “That’s part of the selfishness and lack of leadership around the team that we have to fix.”
“Coach Matt Campbell plans on changing the culture,” Mack said. “He sees where we went wrong this year, and his job is to get it fixed as soon as possible and to use all the seniors as one big group to fix all those issues.”
It turns out that Mack won’t be part of the Campbell era, and that’s a surprise to many.
Mack has played three college football seasons, and this is his third time entering the transfer portal. He started his college career at Penn State in 2023, then transferred to Alabama after a season. After a year is Tuscaloosa, he came back to Penn State, and now, he’s in the transfer portal again.
