May 2 – Safety King Mack, one of the highest-rated members of Penn State’s 2023 recruiting class, was one of five players who reportedly entered the NCAA transfer portal on Thursday.
Wide receiver Malik McClain, Golden defensive lineman Israel-Achumba and running backs London Montgomery and David Kency Jr. are the others leaving the football program.
The transfer portal closed Tuesday. It’s possible that Penn State didn’t renew the scholarships of all five players to reach the 85 limit.
The 5-10, 187-pound Mack, a former four-star recruit from Miami, played in every game last season, mostly on special teams. He was not part of a four-man rotation at safety with KJ Winston, Jaylen Reed, Zakee Wheatley and Keaton Ellis.
McClain, 6-4, 207 pounds, transferred last year from Florida State and had six receptions for 71 yards and a touchdown in 13 games.
The 6-4, 332-pound Israel-Achumba was a three-star recruit in the 2020 class out of Bowie, Maryland. He played 16 games for the Nittany Lions without starting.
The 5-10, 186-pound Montgomery, a three-star recruit in Scranton Prep’s Class of 2023, was redshirted last season while recovering from a knee injury he suffered in high school.
Kency, 5-7, 173 pounds, did not see action at Penn State.
Last month, wide receivers KeAndre Lambert-Smith and Malick Meiga and defensive tackle Davion Townley Jr. put their names in the portal.
Lambert-Smith, who was Penn State’s leading receiver last year, has since transferred to Auburn. Meiga and Townley have not yet announced their fates.
