Penn State Sports Magazine
Issue link: https://comanpub.uberflip.com/i/1546159
S E P T E M B E R 2 0 2 6 3 7 W W W . B L U E W H I T E O N L I N E . C O M be playing in college," Neal said. "And they were already telling me I was go- ing to be a defensive back, wherever that may be. So, I already knew I was going to be making a switch when I got to college." That change worked out nicely for him at Iowa State, and it figures to work out at least as well at Penn State. The 6-foot-1, 216-pound safety became one of the stars of the biggest transfer class in Nittany Lion football history when he opted to follow Campbell and Broom- field to State College. Neal was listed by On3 as the No. 61 overall prospect and No. 5 safety in the portal this past January, and he was named one of the top 10 Big Ten trans- fers of the year by ESPN's Bill Connelly, with the analytics guru describing him as "an almost surefire star." Another ringing endorsement came from Campbell himself. Said the veteran coach, "Marcus was maybe one of the best defensive players in the Big 12 over the past year and a half." A Big Decision It didn't take long for Neal to flip the switch when he arrived in Ames. He recorded 18 tackles in 13 games as a true freshman in 2024, headlined by an 8-tackle performance in the Cyclones' win over No. 15 Miami in the Pop-Tarts Bowl. A year later, he became one of only three Iowa State defenders to start all 12 games. Neal finished the 2025 season tied for the team lead with 77 tackles, and he paced the Cyclones with 11 tack- les for loss. Ultimately, he earned third- team All-Big 12 honors thanks to those strong numbers in addition to recording a sack, 2 interceptions, a forced fumble and a fumble recovery. When he and his teammates left the field following a win over Oklahoma State in late November to cap an 8-4 regular season that ended with three consecutive victories, Neal was looking forward to using the Cyclones' antici- pated bowl appearance as a springboard into the 2026 campaign. But on Dec. 5, the news broke that Campbell was headed to Penn State. Iowa State opted not to play in a bowl game, and many of the Cyclones' play- ers suddenly found themselves with career-changing decisions to make. Neal, who had recorded 2 tackles for loss and a fumble recovery in Iowa State's 20-13 win over the Cowboys, didn't relish the thought of having to ac- climate to a new coaching staff in Ames. "Once Campbell left, some questions opened up," he told reporters in Febru- ary. "I knew I was going to get in the portal once he left, because I didn't have a feeling about a new coaching staff coming in. I really didn't know those guys, so I wanted to make sure I was making the right decision." As it turns out, that choice was ulti- mately an easy one. Neal announced on Dec. 28 that he would be entering the portal, and he committed to Penn State a week later. "Campbell kind of recruited me in the portal," Neal said. "I know the guy [and know] the type of coach he is. Why would I not want to go play for him?" Coming Together While that question might have come with a simple answer, there was noth- ing simple about the move. Neal was one of 40 transfers to join Penn State's roster in the offseason and one of 24 to follow Campbell from Iowa State. At first, he was worried about the tran- sition. Even with all the additions to their roster, the Nittany Lions returned a wealth of homegrown talent and had their own leadership structure in place. "I'm excited to go out there and go against different teams and just play some football against people other than my brothers. … And I'm excited to win some football games." N E A L Neal was one of coach Matt Campbell's top targets when he entered the portal in early January, and the feeling was mutual. "I know the guy [and know] the type of coach he is," Neal said. "Why would I not want to go play for him?" PHOTO COURTESY PENN STATE ATHLETICS