Penn State Sports Magazine
Issue link: https://comanpub.uberflip.com/i/1540433
N O V E M B E R 2 0 2 5 41 W W W . B L U E W H I T E O N L I N E . C O M T o King Mack, returning kickoffs is like chasing rabbits. You let the other deep man take the lead, and then you trail him as closely as possible, trusting that he'll find an open- ing and knowing that the absolute worst thing you can do in that moment is to hesitate. "The rabbit is the off-returner, the per- son who's blocking," King said. "Wher- ever the hole is that he sees, you hit it right behind him — all gas, no brakes." In the second quarter of Penn State's season opener against Nevada, Mack showed just what can happen when he's got his accelerator jammed to the floor. With senior receiver Kyron Hudson guid- ing him through a swarm of defenders, the 5-foot-10, 189-pound junior turned left and dashed upfield, leaping over the Wolf Pack's kicker before finally running out of room at the 18-yard line. The 73- yard return sent a charge through Beaver Stadium and helped turn a 17-3 lead into a 46-11 romp. It also served as a reintroduction for Mack. A former four-star defensive back from Fort Lauderdale, Fla., he has been on an unusual journey the past two years. He started his college career at Penn State, then headed to Alabama as a sophomore, only to decide after just one season in Tuscaloosa that he never should have left PSU in the first place. Mack returned to State College last winter seeking a bigger role for himself, both as a special teams performer and within the safety corps. As evidenced by his big return on open- ing day, he found it. "It's a great feeling being back at Bea- ver, being back in Happy Valley," Mack said. "I missed it so much — the energy of the fans. That Beaver Stadium pulse is just different." Trusting The Process If Mack's career choices suggest that patience hasn't necessarily been one of his virtues, there's a reason for that. By his own admission, he hasn't been patient. And rabbits aren't all he's been chasing. Mack came to Penn State in pursuit of early playing time after an outstanding prep career at St. Thomas Aquinas High in which he starred on three state cham- pionship teams and twice was named the Raiders' MVP. It didn't work out the way he had hoped. Mack didn't redshirt as a true freshman, but he also didn't play much on a defense that featured veterans Jay- len Reed and Keaton Ellis and rising stars such as Kevin Winston Jr. and Zakee Wheatley. The newcomer saw action on only 39 defensive snaps, posting 3 tackles. Figuring he could do better, Mack en- tered the transfer portal following the 2023 season and signed with the Crimson Tide. While Alabama hadn't been on his short list coming out of high school, he had every reason to feel hopeful about his chances of making an impact in Kalen DeBoer's first season as head coach. That didn't work out, either. Mack played just 49 defensive snaps on a Crim- son Tide team that posted the program's worst record in 17 years. Making matters worse, he didn't feel the same connec- tion with his new teammates that he did with the members of his recruiting class at PSU, which included several other four- star defensive standouts like linebacker Tony Rojas, cornerback Elliot Washington II and linebacker DaKaari Nelson. "I missed the guys that I came in with my freshman year," Mack said. "We cre- ated a bond — the brotherhood of just those guys in that [2023] class. We're so tight. We'd all been through the blood, sweat and tears together. "Leaving those guys and going some- where else and starting over was difficult. I didn't have the same bond at Alabama that I had with my guys here." When Mack entered the portal again after the season, he soon discovered that Penn State was eager to bring him back. The Nittany Lions knew they would be losing Reed and Winston to the NFL, and then-head coach James Franklin felt that Mack had left PSU prematurely. "I'll say he made a mistake," the coach said earlier this year. "The lesson I learned was not to try and speed up your process. A lot of people get caught up in being a top recruit and instantly making an impact in college. What I realized is that your coaches are going to put you in the best situation for you. I didn't see that fully as a freshman, but once I got to Alabama, I realized it." M A C K