In the oft-deemed Wild West era of the transfer portal and NIL in college football, you see unexpected departures from rosters every year. It’s much less common, though, to see one of those departures make their way back to a program two years later.

That’s become a reality at Penn State.

Safety King Mack, an impressive 2023 freshman for the Nittany Lions with sights on a significant defensive role the following year, left for Alabama after the 2024 spring game.

And typically, James Franklin’s program has treated portal departures in the same way: once you decide to leave the program, you’re gone for good. Just look at quarterback Beau Pribula’s exit last season. Neither party ultimately hoped that would happen.

But Mack was an exception, both for the depth he could provide on special teams and defense as well as his infectious personality in the locker room.

It took just two quarters for Mack to emphatically remind Penn State coaches, teammates and fans of his presence.

He returned a kickoff vs. Nevada for 73 yards and narrowly missed scoring his first career touchdown. The next offensive drive turned into a field goal, but that mattered little compared to the spark Mack provided — the moment he realized he was back home.

“The first thing that came to mind, it was like, ‘I’m back in Beaver, man,’” Mack told reporters over Zoom on Tuesday. “Hearing the crowd going crazy, even seeing my teammates excited for me, Coach Franklin telling me this is why I came back home. It was an unrealistic feeling. I can’t lie to you.”

Penn State needed that boost in the return game badly. While senior star running back Nick Singleton has handled those duties for three years and boasts a return score in his career, Penn State’s 21.22 yards per return last season was just 47th nationally.

Mack is already averaging 35.33 yards on three returns, good for seventh in the country. He attributed his skills to speed and confidence.

“You can’t go into the return thinking too much. Once you see a hole or a seam, you have to just run full speed,” Mack said. “I always think of it as chasing a rabbit. And the rabbit is the off-returner, that person who’s blocking. Whatever hole he sees, you hit it right behind him. All gas, no breaks.”

Has Mack chased rabbits before?

“In Florida, they actually called us rabbit chasers in Belle Glade, because there’s a lot of rabbits over there in the field,” he said with a chuckle. “So honestly, yes, I have a couple of times.”

Mack had a disappointing year after transferring to Alabama. When he could have been a key rotator at Penn State, he made just 14 tackles on 106 defensive snaps, according to PFF.

Franklin half-joked after the Nevada game that Mack knows he made a mistake leaving Happy Valley. Mack seemed to feel the same way.

“I missed my guys that I came in with my freshman year. We created a bond, the brotherhood of just that 2027 class,” he said. “We’re so tight. We’ve all been through the blood, sweat and tears together.

“So leaving those guys, going somewhere else and starting over, it was hard. I didn’t have the same bond at Alabama that I had with my guys here.”

Mack also rekindled his relationship with Nittany Lions safeties coach Anthony Poindexter, an important piece of his early success.

“A lot of people get caught up in, being a freshman, a top recruit and instantly making an impact in college,” Mack said. “And what I realized is that your coaches put you in the best situation that they feel for you.”

The St. Thomas Aquinas, Fla., product made his biggest impact in Week 2 vs. FIU on defense. He came away as PFF’s highest-graded Penn State safety, making seven tackles and a pass breakup.

He’s firmly in the mix in a deep safety room and has taken on heavy responsibilities in first-year defensive coordinator Jim Knowles’ defense.

“He’s honestly teaching us an NFL defense, and he wants us to be able to communicate, because he always tells us that whatever we’re doing now, we’re going to have to do at the next level,” Mack said. “He’s preparing us mentally and physically for the next level. His defense is very schematic. You have to know your job. There are different checks within the defense. I honestly love the defense.”

Mack admitted that the grass isn’t always greener. Now he’s playing with clear goals for a national championship in 2025, and he’s relishing the chance to do so back in State College.

“It’s a great feeling being back at Beaver, being back in Happy Valley. Honestly, I missed it so much. Being back in Beaver, the energy of fans, just that Beaver Stadium pulse — it’s different,” Mack said. “So I’m definitely blessed to be back. Thank God for Coach Franklin, with open arms that allowed me to come back in and actually make an impact.”

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