King Mack commitment preview: Will the safety pick Penn State today?
The Penn State football program has already picked up four commitments in June. It hopes to swell that number to find on the final day of the month. Four-star Ft. Lauderdale, Fla. St. Thomas Aquinas safety King Mack is ready to decide. An announcement date is set for today, Thursday at Noon ET, and the teams left in the race are clear.
Learn more about the Class of 2023 recruit’s upcoming decision in our commitment preview.
Where does the Penn State Class of 2023 stand entering the day?
Penn State enters Thursday with 15 Class of 2023 commitments. As noted above, a few of them joined the fold over the last 30 days. That list includes four-star receiver Yazeed Haynes, who picked the Lions on June 12, three-star defensive lineman Tyriq Blanding (June 17), four-star edge Tomarrion Parker (June 21), and four-star safety DaKaari Nelson.
One prospect who is not on that list is Conrad Hussey. A teammate of Mack’s at St. Thomas Aquinas, he picked Penn State back in April and has hoped his teammate would do the same ever since.
All told, as of Thursday morning, the Lions have two safeties committed and eight players on offense, six on defense, and one athlete.
Who are the contenders for Mack?
Only two programs have hosted Mack for an official visit: Penn State and Michigan State. The Spartans had the first opportunity to do so back on June 10. Then, the Lions had him on campus the weekend of June 17.
A 5-foot-10, 175-pound senior who ranks inside the top 300 overall of the On3 Consensus player rankings for the Class of 2023, Mack has had a quiet recruitment. He is not big on either social media or interviews. All told, however, a total of 25 programs extended an offer at one point or another. But, it is coming down to two Big Ten East foes for the Sunshine State standout.
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What he has said about Penn State
Mack caught up with BWI’s Ryan Snyder following his official visit to Penn State.
“Coach Franklin, he tells everyone coaching is his job, but he loves it so much that he’d do it for free,” Mack said. “[You don’t hear that] from a coach. You know, when you hear about a head coach, you think money, being the boss of everything, but him saying that he’ll do it for free, that just shows the love he has for not just the sport, but the kids.
“So you know, it was great. I loved that. The coaches, Coach [Anthony Poindexter], he’s a character. He’s one of a kind. It’s hard to find a coach who you bond with like that.”
Who is favored in the On3 Recruiting Prediction Machine?
It’s Penn State, by a wide margin. Powered by expert predictions from both On3 Director of Recruiting Chad Simmons and BWI recruiting insider Ryan Snyder, the Lions are listed as a 98 percent favorite to earn Mack’s commitment on Thursday per the On3 Recruiting Prediction Machine.
Final word
While July will feature many more announcements, some prospects prefer to get their decision out of the way as soon as they know where they want to go. Mack clearly is one of those recruits, and we’ll find out his final choice at lunchtime Thursday.
