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Which Penn State defender is among the fastest players in EA Sports College Football 26?

Greg Pickelby:Greg Pickel•07/02/25•

GregPickel

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Penn State safety King Mack. (Pickel/BWI)

Penn State safety King Mack, who spent one season with the Lions before leaving for a year at Alabama before returning to State College this offseason, will have a role in Jim Knowles’ defense this fall. A hand injury caused him to miss much of spring practice, which means he’ll have to earn his snaps during preseason camp. It means that, while he is expected to play the nickel spot in the team’s 4-2-5 base defense, how much he’ll do so initially is not yet clear. But, we do know that whenever he’s on the field, he’ll be one of the fastest players out there

That’s been true for quite some time, of course. The Florida native’s speed has been a significant part of his game since his high school days. Alabama defensive coordinator Kane Wommack also raved about it last August.

“King’s athletically, I mean, he’s a very fast individual. Very physical, he’s got some really good instincts,” Wommack said, per BamaOnLine.

Added Crimson Tide safeties coach Colin Hitschler:

“I think he’s a really talented kid,” Hitschler said. “Obviously speed I think is something everyone knows about. He’s got a good feel in zone coverages. He’ll hit you, he’s a good man cover guy. He’s a good player.”

BWI’s Sean Fitz also highlighted Mack’s ability to move quicker than his peers back in February in a piece looking at Penn State players who could later blow up the NFL Combine.

We bring up the past as context for the present. As EA Sports readies to release its College Football ’26 video game, it is sharing some of the individual player ratings that will be found once it hits gaming consoles later this month. And, based on what we shared above, it should come as no surprise that King is among the top 10 fastest players in the game. He checks in at No. 6 overall with a 98 speed rating. He’s one of four players with that number designation. Four others are ahead of him with a 99 speed rating. South Carolina star receiver Nyck Harbor, unsurprisingly, leads the list. He was a two-sport phenom in high school. Then, he ran one track season for the Gamecocks in 2024 and posted some incredible figures, as On3’s Grant Grubbs recently noted.

“Harbor finished fifth at the SEC indoor track & field championships in 2024, clocking in at 20.87 seconds in the 200 meters,” he writes. “Additionally, Harbor recorded personal-best times during the outdoor season, with 10.11 seconds in the 100-meter dash and 20.20 in the 200. For his efforts, he earned Second-Team All-America honors in both events.”

You can see the full top 10 speed ratings here:

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