Penn State adds safety Marcus Neal via transfer portal

Penn State has added safety Marcus Neal Jr. to its roster for the upcoming season. He committed to the Nittany Lions on Sunday, On3’s Hayes Fawcett reports.

Listed at 6-foot-1, 215 pounds, Neal was one of Iowa State’s top defensive players this past season, totaling a team-high 77 tackles. He also had two interceptions, three pass deflections, a forced fumble and a sack. The Kansas City native totaled at least seven tackles in six games this past season, and ultimately earned third-team All-Big 12 honors for his efforts. Neal has played in every game for the Cyclones since arriving. As a result, he has three years remaining to play two.

A Class of 2024 prospect, Neal earned eight scholarship offers coming out of Raytown South High School. He took visits to Iowa, Missouri, and Nebraska, among others, and ultimately chose Iowa State over Kansas State.

According to Pro Football Focus, Neal earned an overall defensive grade of 79.6 this past season, which was the highest of any full-time starter. Nationally, he ranked No. 39 out of 345 safeties across FBS football that played at least 400 snaps.

On3’s Transfer Portal Rankings place Neal at No. 64 nationally and fifth overall at safety. He’s now the third former Iowa State player to join Matt Campbell and his staff at Penn State after tight end Ben Brahmer and offensive lineman Will Tompkins announced on Saturday.

Scouting Report

“Neal played the important “middle” safety role in Iowa’s three-safety defense, similar to senior Zakee Wheatley for Penn State in 2025,” wrote BWI’s Thomas Frank Carr. “This role can take many shapes as the coverage umbrella rotates around the defense, responding to offensive formations and personnel packages.

“As a result, Neal spent more time in the tackle box than any player other than starting linebacker Kooper Ebel. As the field safety in a three-safety defense, Neal is used as a versatile chess piece, blending the line between box safety, deep free safety, and selective man coverage player. Each defense will feature this player differently, but, much like Wheatley, Neal was the axis on which the Cyclones’ defensive secondary spun in 2025.

“Unlike Wheatley, Neal is a natural box defender with a hair-on-fire approach to run defense. His best skill is pursuit and running destruction from depth. When he triggers on a play, Neal screams into run fits with no hesitation and maximum impact on blockers. Much of his tackling prowess also comes from his ability to pursue outside of his gap. He’s a maximum effort player with good burst who can track the ball down in space and clean up screens, quarterback scrambles, and runs from several angles.”