BREAKING: Penn State football loses rising defender to the transfer portal

In a late developing situation, James Franklin and Penn State football are expected to lose safety King Mack to the transfer portal. The news was first reported by Matt Zenitz of 247Sports on Thursday. Mack figured to play a critical role under Tom Allen in the Nittany Lions defense in 2024. While the spring window technically closed earlier in the week, schools have a 48-hour window to process portal requests.

King Mack to enter transfer portal

The future of the Nittany Lions secondary took a significant hit Thursday afternoon with the report from 247Sports’ Matt Zenitz that sophomore safety King Mack is expected to enter the transfer portal. While the window for undergraduate players technically closed Tuesday, schools have 48 hours to process the request.

Penn State second-year defensive back King Mack is expected to enter the transfer portal, sources tell @247sports.

Was a Class of 2023 top-100 recruit.https://t.co/z0HBTcoL2i pic.twitter.com/4Cn4jFRRo6

— Matt Zenitz (@mzenitz) May 2, 2024

King Mack was the No. 6 safety in 247Sports’ 2023 class rankings, and the No. 86 recruit in the country. Mack played in all 13 games as a true freshman for James Franklin and Penn State football, primarily on special teams. The Miami, Florida native recorded three tackles on the year.

While King Mack didn’t light up the stat sheet last year, there was plenty of optimism for his future in Happy Valley. With another year to sit behind veterans KJ Winston and Jaylen Reed, hopes were that Mack could blossom for Penn State football in 2025 and beyond.

Penn State football portal tracker

Up to this point, Penn State football had only suffered one departure on the defensive side of the ball. Davon Townley, who transitioned from edge to the interior last fall, entered the transfer portal last week. Townley played 17 snaps in 2023 and previously entered the portal last winter.

The Nittany Lions have taken the biggest hit on the offense this spring. James Franklin and his staff lost a pair of wide receivers, KeAndre Lambert-Smith and Malick Meiga, in the first week of the spring window. Lambert-Smith has found a new home at Auburn, while Meiga has added several lower-level offers to date.

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