Penn State adds commitment from Florida safety, making 3rd four-star recruit in 10 days
Penn State’s strong recruiting stretch continued Thursday afternoon when four-star safety King Mack announced his commitment to the Nittany Lions via his Twitter account.
Mack, who will be part of the 2023 class, plays his high school football for St. Thomas Aquinas in Florida, where he recorded 54 tackles and four interceptions as a junior last season. His production and athletic traits have earned him a ranking as the No. 23 safety in the 2023 class while being the No. 57 player in Florida.
The 5-foot-11, 180 pound safety chose Penn State over 29 other scholarship offers, including those from Michigan State and Notre Dame.
Mack projects as a potential NFL draft pick, according to 247Sports southeast recruiting analyst Andrew Ivins’ scouting report.
“The football version of a five-tool center fielder,” Ivins’ report on Mack’s profile page reads. “Lacks the ideal height/weight combo, but makes up for his smaller frame with his speed, instincts, ball skills, physicality and leadership qualities. As a junior, worked mostly out of a two-deep safety look and thrived picking off four passes for a storied St. Thomas Aquinas program, which captured a state title in Florida’s second-highest classification.
“Ability to get to the deeper third of the field or from hash to hash in the snap of a finger is rare. So are his track times: 10.64 in the 100, 21.43 in the 200 and 46.25 in the 400-meter dash. Can without a doubt fly, but more than comfortable just patrolling the backend of a defense as he isn’t afraid to stick his nose in the box and provide run support on first or second down. Owns valuable experience as a blitzer in passing situations, as well.
“Hasn’t been asked to play much man-on-man coverage at the prep level, but fluid footwork and initial burst suggest that he will be able to hang with some of the quicker wide receivers that line up in the slot these days. Must keep progressing as a football player and learn how to get Power Five veterans to the ground on his own, but has the traits to emerge as a multi-year starter on Saturdays.
“Subpar measurables won’t be for everyone, but range is extremely valuable in an era of football where so many offenses want to just air it out. Ceiling might ultimately be highest as a single-high safety in an aggressive defensive scheme that wants to bait quarterbacks into making bad decisions, but could also possibly be utilized in a variety of ways including as a slot defender.”
Mack’s commitment is the Nittany Lions’ third in the last 10 days, joining Tomarrion Parker and DaKaari Nelson, both of whom play their high school football in Alabama.
Adding Mack keeps the class at No. 5 in the country and No. 2 in the Big Ten according to the 247Sports Composite team rankings.
This story was originally published June 30, 2022 at 12:04 PM.
