Former Penn State Safety Leaves Alabama, Returns to Penn State

King Mack was Penn State's top-ranked defensive recruit in 2023. After transferring to Alabama, he's coming back to the Nittany Lions.
Penn State safety King Mack (9) tackles Delaware running back Saeed St. Fleur during the second half of an NCAA football game Saturday, Sept. 9, 2023, in State College.
Penn State safety King Mack (9) tackles Delaware running back Saeed St. Fleur during the second half of an NCAA football game Saturday, Sept. 9, 2023, in State College. / Dan Rainville / USA TODAY NETWORK

King Mack, who transferred to Alabama after one season at Penn State, is returning to the Nittany Lions in 2025. Mack on Sunday announced that he will rejoin the Penn State football team after playing for the Crimson Tide in 2024. Mack, who announced his decision on social media, has two seasons of eligibility remaining.

"I'm back home," Mack wrote in a social media post.

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Mack was the highest-ranked defensive player of Penn State's 2023 recruiting class, a 4-star prospect from Florida power St. Thomas Aquinas who initially chose Penn State from a deep group of suitors. Mack had more than 20 Power 4 offers from schools such as Michigan, Notre Dame, Miami and Pitt. He committed to Penn State as the nation's No. 6 safety and a top-100 player nationally, according to the 247Sports Composite.

Mack had a productive freshman season at Penn State in 2023, playing in all 13 games, primarily on special teams. He did play six games on defense and earned raves from teammates and coaches. Teammates described Mack as a "freakish athlete," and strength coach Chuck Losey called him "wildly explosive."

"When you talk about King specifically, he was a guy we identified early on in training camp based on his testing numbers, his strength numbers, based on his ability to pick up the defense, on his ability to make plays that we felt like he was going to factor in from a depth-chart perspective on defense," Penn Stte coach James Franklin said of Mack in September 2023. "... He's fast, aggressive and violent. The ball likes him."

However, Penn State's deep safety room (with KJ Winston, Jaylen Reed and Zakee Wheatley) was a contributing factor in sending Mack to the NCAA Transfer Portal in May 2024. Eight days after entering the portal, Mack announced that he would transfer to Alabama.

Mack played in 13 games for the Crimson Tide last season but did not start any. He was credited with 14 tackles. Mack entered the transfer portal after Alabama lost to Michigan in the ReliaQuest Bowl. Reed returns to a safeties room at Penn State that will look quite different. Winston, who played just two games this season, has declared for the 2025 NFL Draft, and Reed is out of eligibility. Mack will contend for a starting spot alongside Wheatley, who has announced that he will return to Penn State for his final season.

Mack became the sixth player to commit to Penn State via the transfer portal and third since the Nittany Lions ended their season with a loss to Notre Dame in the Orange Bowl. Former Texas A&M offensive lineman T.J. Shanahan announced his decision one day after the Orange Bowl, and former Michigan defensive lineman Owen Wafle announced his choice Saturday.

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Mark Wogenrich
MARK WOGENRICH

Mark Wogenrich is Editor and Publisher of AllPennState, the site for Penn State news on SI's FanNation Network. He has covered Penn State sports for more than two decades across three coaching staffs and three Rose Bowls.