One of Penn State football’s safeties is among the Big Ten’s top returners.
Pro Football Focus grades every safety, and of those graded, Marcus Neal is the fourth best among Big Ten returners.
Neal got a 78.8 grade for his efforts last season, behind only Minnesota’s Mekhai Smith (89.8), Indiana’s Amare Ferrell (80.1) and Nebraska’s Dwayne McDougle III (79.3).
Granted, Neal’s college production this point has come outside the Big Ten. He spent his first two seasons at Iowa State, where he played for new Penn State coach Matt Campbell. But there’s plenty of reason to believe his production would translate to the Big Ten.
After playing in 13 games as a freshman, Neal started all 12 games last year and finished second on the team with 77 tackles. He added 11 tackles for loss, three sacks, two interceptions and a forced fumble.
Add Nittany Sports Now as a preferred source in Google! Click here to add us.His season began with eight tackles, including 1.5 tackles for loss, against Kansas State. That performance earned him Big 12 Defensive Player of the Week honors.
Neal remained productive throughout conference play. He recorded seven tackles and a tackle for loss against Arkansas State, intercepted passes against Arizona State and Kansas and produced a season-high 12 tackles against BYU.
He also showed that he could make plays near the line of scrimmage. Neal finished with five tackles and two sacks against Oklahoma State, giving Iowa State another way to use him beyond traditional deep coverage responsibilities.
Neal will make his Penn State debut Sept. 5 against Marshall. Kickoff is set for 3:30 on FS1 from Beaver Stadium.
