Former Penn State safety King Mack lands with perennial SEC power
Former Penn State safety King Mack has found his new home. Just eight days since the sophomore left the Nittany Lions and went into the Transfer Portal, he has landed in the SEC. Mack will suit up for Alabama and new head coach Kalen DeBoer in the 2024 season.
The 5-foot-10, 187-pound Mack, who played his high school ball at powerhouse St. Thomas Aquinas in Fort Lauderdale, Fla., used a year of eligibility in 2023 after playing in all 13 games for the Nittany Lions. He was slated to be the fourth safety in Penn State’s rotation this fall and potentially get some reps as a return man.
Mack’s entry in the Transfer Portal was the biggest loss for the Nittany Lions among the five players who entered last week.
“That’s the one that I looked at as the biggest [loss],” Blue-White Illustrated Publisher Sean Fitz said when he sat down with On3’s Andy Staples this week. “Penn State is going to play three safeties a lot this year so all of a sudden a guy gets a stinger and he’s a starter. That one hurts, because looking at the potential that he had to not only come in and play a role this year, but also start in 2025. That one really hurt.
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“He’s an aggressive player, and I think wherever he ends up he’s going to be a player. This isn’t one of those ones, we have this thing where a guy leaves and the site, the fans, the message boards, whatever, say this isn’t a big deal. That’s not the case here. I think this was a big [loss] for Penn State. They were not happy to lose King Mack. It’s a tough one.
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“I think you’ll see him land at a good program and be a really good player.”
He visited Alabama shortly thereafter and committed on Friday. At this point it is unclear how many other visits Mack took in the last week and who was the competition for the Crimson Tide. Mack is the 13th addition via the Transfer Portal for Alabama since DeBoer was hired to take over for Nick Saban in the winter.
How does King Mack leaving impact Penn State?
Mack was not going to overtake Kevin Winston Jr., and Jaylen Reed for a starting safety job. But, he was projected as a top backup and oft-used part of the rotation for position coach Anthony Poindexter in 2024. With that said, while four Penn State safeties played more than 200 snaps a year ago, only two of them, the aforementioned pair, played more than 257. So, Mack may have seen consistent playing time as something he could gain elsewhere. His decision to enter the portal impacts the Lions from a depth perspective at safety. And, it assures an even bigger role for redshirt junior Zakee Wheatley, who was expected to play more anyway this fall.
The other area Mack’s decision impacts Penn State is at punt returner. He was expected to be in the mix to replace Daequan Hardy. But, the Blue-White game indicated that Kaden Saunders is the leader in the clubhouse to regain the role he lost to Hardy midway through last season. So, snaps at that spot may not have been there for Mack, either.
