Penn State Sports Magazine
Issue link: https://comanpub.uberflip.com/i/1532761
5 4 M A R C H 2 0 2 5 W W W . B L U E W H I T E O N L I N E . C O M / / / / / / / T H E C L A S S O F 2 0 2 5 / / / / / / / / / / / / / / / / / / / / / / / / / / / / / / / / / / / / / / / / / / / / / Safety King Mack returned to the Nit- tany Lions by the same route he left a year earlier: the NCAA transfer portal. The 5-foot-10, 192-pound defensive back spent his first collegiate season in State College after arriving in 2023 as a four-star prospect out of Miami foot- ball powerhouse St. Thomas Aquinas. He saw action in 13 games for the Nittany Lions, making 3 tackles on 108 snaps. Believing there might be a better op- portunity elsewhere, Mack entered the transfer portal after the season and soon resurfaced at Alabama. He did not crack the Crimson Tide's two-deep last fall, playing mostly special teams during his first and only season in Tuscaloosa and totaling 14 tackles. Mack entered the portal again after the season and ended up back where he began his college career. Announcing his decision via social media on Jan. 12, he said simply, "I'm back home." As a transfer, Mack received a four- star grade in the On3 Industry Rank- ing. He was listed as the No. 82 overall prospect and the No. 8 safety among this year's winter portal entrants. Mack was also a four-star prospect coming out of St. Thomas Aquinas two years ago. He was listed in the On3 In- dustry Ranking as the No. 93 overall prospect and No. 8 safety nationally, as well as the No. 23 player in Florida. Charles Power, On3's director of scout- ing and rankings, described him as a "hyper-athletic, twitchy safety with deep range in coverage." At the very least, Penn State has landed a player who can be used on all four spe- cial teams units. Mack took 147 special teams snaps for Alabama in 2024, per Pro Football Focus, and was the Crimson Tide's highest-rated specialist with a 74.1 grade. Mack is not coming back to Penn State with a goal of only playing on kick and punt units. The Nittany Lions must re- place starting safety Jaylen Reed, and Mack will be in the mix for that position. Others who are expected to contend for the job include sophomore Dejuan Lane, redshirt sophomore Lamont Payne Jr., and redshirt freshman Vaboue Toure. The Lions also signed two safeties in the class of 2025: Braz Thomas of Glassboro, N.J., and Josh Johnson of Ironton, Ohio. — Greg Pickel The wide receiver position was a top priority for Penn State during the post- season transfer window, so it was no surprise when the first player to join the Nittany Lions out of the portal was USC wideout Kyron Hudson. The redshirt senior announced his commitment to Penn State on Dec. 16, one day after taking an official visit. Listed at 6-foot-1, 207 pounds, Hud- son caught 38 passes for 462 yards and 3 scores for the Trojans last season. He shined in USC's season opener against LSU, hauling in 5 passes for 83 yards, including a terrific one-handed catch between a pair of defenders that went for a 24-yard gain. Later, he pulled down another one-handed grab along the sideline that not only drew a target- ing flag after a big hit, but also set the Trojans up for the winning field goal. The Nittany Lions saw Hudson first- hand when he caught 4 passes for 36 yards and a touchdown against them back in October. His long reception of the year went for 39 yards against UCLA in a game in which he posted 6 catches for 79 yards. He finished his USC career with 72 receptions for 807 yards and 8 touchdowns. Hailing from Duarte, Calif., Hudson started nine games for the Trojans last season. A well-respected team leader, he has one year left to play at the col- lege level. Hudson was listed in the On3 In- dustry Ranking as the No. 44 wide re- ceiver and No. 214 overall prospect in the portal during the winter transfer window. He received a three-star grade as a transfer but was a four-star player coming out of Mater Dei in 2021. Penn State was one of 10 schools that ex- tended offers to him as a high school recruit. "There are zero questions about Hudson's work ethic or attitude," said WeAreSC.com's Erik McKinney. "He's a guy who can be a leader for Penn State's position group, in the offense and for the entire team. "As a receiver, he always felt like a guy with a low ceiling and a high floor. He doesn't wow you with any specific trait in terms of size or speed or athleticism, but he's been a pretty dependable guy. "This year was really interesting be- cause USC had a couple of younger out- side receivers who were clearly more athletically gifted, but the coaches kept running Hudson out ahead of them. Hudson ultimately took 130 more snaps than any other outside receiver." — Sean Fitz Kyron Hudson Looks To Give PSU's Wideout Corps A Lift King Mack Returns To Nittany Lions After A Year At Alabama THE HUDSON FILE ✪ ✪ ✪ ✪ ✪ WR | R-Sr. 6-1 | 207 USC Mater Dei Duarte, Calif. THE MACK FILE ✪ ✪ ✪ ✪ ✪ S | Jr. 5-10 | 192 Alabama St. Thomas Aquinas Miami