Penn State’s biggest transfer headline this offseason has centered on quarterback Rocco Becht, and that makes sense. He arrives with familiarity, experience, and the kind of résumé a new coach wants to lean on right away. But when ESPN’s Bill Connelly picked his favorite Big Ten transfers, he looked past the obvious quarterback buzz and landed on a different Nittany Lion: safety Marcus Neal Jr.
Connelly included 10 transfers in his conference preview, and Neal stood out enough to earn a spot on that list. His case starts with production and keeps building from there. The 6-foot-1, 215-pound defensive back played in all 12 games at Iowa State in 2025 and finished with 77 tackles, 11 tackles for loss, three passes defended, two interceptions, one forced fumble, and one sack.
"New head coach Matt Campbell brought a lot of former Cyclones with him from Iowa State -- too many, perhaps -- but Neal is an almost surefire star," Connelly wrote. "The 6-foot-1, 215-pound safety has solid ball-hawking capabilities (two INTs, three breakups last year) but is also at home near the line of scrimmage: He took part in 12 tackles at or behind the line."
That blend is exactly why Neal fits so cleanly into this Penn State defense. He can play the ball in the back end, but he’s also comfortable living around the line of scrimmage and helping in the run game.
The timing matters, too. Penn State lost Zakee Wheatley to the NFL Draft and Antoine Belgrave-Shorter to Arizona State, which leaves real turnover in the safety room. Vaboue Toure is the only returner there, though he is not expected to start for the blue and white despite a solid 2025 season.
The room did get reinforcements in seniors Jeremiah Cooper and Jamison Patton, but Cooper’s 2025 ACL tear changes the picture. Campbell said at Big Ten Media Days that Cooper should be ready by September, yet he is expected to be limited in fall camp. That makes Neal’s arrival even more important, especially because he already knows the system and was Cooper’s running mate at Iowa State.
If Cooper is back and healthy, that’s a strong outcome. If not, Neal gives Penn State a stabilizing presence either way. Health has been a recurring issue for the Nittany Lions on both sides of the ball, so having a transfer with Neal’s track record of availability carries real value.
There’s also a longer runway here. Neal is eligible to return for 2027, which gives Penn State a chance to build some continuity in a safety group that has changed a lot from 2025 to 2026, provided he does not enter the 2027 NFL Draft.
In Other News...
Penn State Fall Camp Opens With Two Huge Roster Fights
Fall camp opens Wednesday, and Penn States first real preseason work is arriving with a familiar kind of unease: a roster that still has several important jobs up for grabs. The Nittany Lions are a month from their opener against Marshall, and the early focus is already landing on depth and sorting out where the new pieces fit. Wide receiver is one of the biggest questions behind starters Chase Sowell and Brett Eskildsen, while the running back room and a defensive line rotation full of fresh faces will be watched closely from the first practice on.
The backfield battle has the feel of a true camp-long competition, with Carson Hansen, James Peoples and Quinton Martin Jr. all in the mix for playing time. Up front, Penn State also has to see how returning players look after injury and how quickly the new front-seven additions settle into the rotation. By the time camp gets rolling, the Lions should have a much clearer sense of which areas are settled and which ones still need a late summer answer. [Read more 🡒]
Penn States Edge Battle Could Shape The Defense Faster Than Expected
Preseason practices are underway for Penn State as it gets ready to open the football season against Marshall, and one of the more interesting position battles is taking shape on the edge. Alexander McPherson, a sophomore transfer from Colorado, is in the mix for playing time as a defensive end, joining a group that is still young and relatively inexperienced.
Matt Campbell has sounded upbeat about the way that room is developing, pointing to both the talent there and the competition pushing the group forward. For Penn State, that makes the edge spots one of the early camp stories worth watching, since the faster those players settle in, the sooner the defense can find its footing. [Read more 🡒]
Penn State Enters Fall Camp With More Pressure Than Fans Wanted
Fall camp is arriving with a little more edge around Penn State than fans probably hoped for, because the questions are not limited to one spot on the depth chart. Defensive end, quarterback and left tackle all figure to be watched closely, and that makes the first weeks of practice feel less like a tune-up and more like an early sorting session for a team that wants clarity before the season starts.
There is some familiar help around the program, too, with head coach Matt Campbell bringing in Michael Mauti as director of football engagement and adding to a staff that already features several former Penn State players. Even so, the preseason outlook has been a mixed one, with Bill Connelly suggesting the Nittany Lions could have trouble even cracking the AP Top 25 despite a manageable schedule, while ESPN singled out quarterback Rocco Becht as the key X factor. [Read more 🡒]