Penn State Sports Magazine
Issue link: https://comanpub.uberflip.com/i/1543434
M A R C H 2 0 2 6 41 W W W . B L U E W H I T E O N L I N E . C O M / / / / / / / / / / / / / / / / / / / / / / / / / / / / / / / / / / / / / / / / / / / / / / / / / / / / / / T R A N S F E R S / / / / / / / bell's former program, particularly redshirt senior quarterback Rocco Becht, the newcomers on defense should not be overlooked. Safety Mar- cus Neal Jr. heads up the list of players in that regard. A 6-foot-1, 215-pound junior from Kansas City, Mo., Neal made 77 tack- les, including a team-high 11 for loss, in 12 games during the 2025 season while also recording 3 pass breakups, 2 in- terceptions and a forced fumble. He earned third-team All-Big 12 honors for his efforts, and now he's ready to take on the Big Ten. Neal will be a starter under new Penn State safeties coach Deon Broomfield. The two have been linked for a number of seasons, dating back to the player's time as a three-star recruit in the On3 Industry Ranking for the class of 2024. After burning his redshirt as a fresh- man, Neal saw his role grow in a big way during his sophomore season at Iowa State. He led the defense in snaps with 697 and had the highest overall grade (79.2) of all of the team's starters on that side of the ball, per Pro Foot- ball Focus. His run-defense grade of 85.1 led all Iowa State players by a wide margin, and that number helps explain why he's Penn State's fifth-highest- rated portal acquisition and the No. 7 safety nationally in On3's 2026 transfer rankings. "He has high potential," Broomfield said in February. "I think he's a guy who will play on Sundays, to be com- pletely honest. He's coming [to Penn State] with a lot of expectations for himself, and he goes to work. He's a worker. "But I would say his expectation is truly to help the team however he can help — be a leader. … That's how he is. He plays 1,000 miles per hour and just continues to play to his standard." 'A Pretty Good Mix' Penn State will be looking to see that mindset in action this coming fall now that it has overhauled its defensive ros- ter and revamped its coaching staff, with former UCLA and USC coordi- nator D'Anton Lynn at the controls. As part of that makeover, the safeties room has taken on a new look. Zakee Wheatley is off to the NFL, while King Mack, Dejuan Lane and Antoine Belgrave-Shorter all hit the transfer portal, ending up at NC State, Te n n e sse e a n d A r i zo n a S ta te , re- spectively. With those players having moved on, redshirt sophomore Vaboue Toure is the only returning scholarship safety on the roster, and he's played a mere 90 snaps in his three years on campus. Neal leads the influx of new talent. He's joined by a pair of Iowa State ex- pats in seniors Jamison Patton and Jer- emiah Cooper, as well as sophomore Omarion Davis, formerly of Boston College. While it's a new-to-PSU posi- tion group to a large extent, Broomfield is very familiar with the Cyclone trio. "We're bringing over Marcus Neal, Jamison Patton and Jeremiah Cooper, guys who played for me in the past," he said. "There's a different blend of size. There are different skill sets within the group, but guys are eager to learn. Omarion Davis is from Boston College, and he played as a true freshman a year ago. We try to not just bring in top-end seniors and juniors. You want to bring in some underclassmen as well, which we were able to do. We feel that we've got a pretty good mix of guys that I'm excited to work with." The Right Combination How exactly the group will look on the field is yet to be seen. Lynn is still figuring out how to best pair his system with the talent on Penn State's ros- ter. At Iowa State, Neal was more of a nickel defensive back, while Cooper and Patton were the starting strong and free safeties, respectively. They will likely have similar roles with the Nittany Lions, although senior Zion Tracy, who started nine games last fall as PSU's nickel cornerback, is going to be in the mix for time in the secondary, as well. Neal has been the most productive member of the group to date and has displayed the most pro potential. He is expected to anchor the Penn State secondary during his first season in State College. "I don't know if there was a better defensive player in the Big 12 last year," Campbell said. "I think [it's impres- sive] what he brings to the table — his physicality, his toughness, his ability to play sideline to sideline." Assessing the Iowa State safety corps last season, Bill Seals of Cyclone Report described Neal as "the stud out of that group." "He's a physical guy, and in that 3-3-5 that Iowa State ran, the defensive backs had to come up and be physical tacklers and support the run," Seals said. "Neal was all of that. He's just a really good player. Probably more of a run-support type of guy, although he held his own in coverage." That means Neal could end up in a role that places him closer to the box than on the last line of defense. Either way, expect him to be a big part of the Penn State plan to stop opponents this coming fall. ■ M A R C U S N E A L J R . B Y T H E N U M B E R S Year GP Solo Ast. Total TFL-Yds. Sack-Yds. Int. PD FF FR 2024 12 6 12 18 1-1 1-1 0 0 1 0 2025 12 40 37 77 11-34 1-6 2 3 1 1 Total 24 46 49 95 12-35 2-7 2 3 2 1 "He has high potential. I think he's a guy who will play on Sundays, to be completely honest. He's coming [to Penn State] with a lot of expectations for himself, and he goes to work." S A F E T I E S C O A C H D E O N B R O O M F I E L D O N N E A L