Marcus Neal, Jr. (JR)

After a quiet start to his college career, Marcus Neal had a breakout season in 2025. He was named third-team All-Big 12 in 2025 and tallied 77 tackles, two interceptions, and a sack. He is a clear favorite to start for the Nittany Lions, who have had at least one defensive back taken in eight of the last nine NFL drafts. Neal has elite speed and is reliable against the run, which will be key against the more run-heavy offenses on Penn State’s schedule. He was named to Athlon Sports’ preseason All-Big Ten team. Expect the Penn State-to-NFL safety pipeline to continue, as he has drawn significant attention for the 2027 NFL Draft.

The most experienced player at the position for Penn State this season, Jeremiah Cooper made 35 starts at Iowa State from 2022 to 2025 until a torn ACL abruptly ended his 2025 season after just four games. He missed all of spring practice while recovering from the injury and his status for the season opener is up in the air, but once he returns, he should take his place in the starting lineup. Cooper played both cornerback and safety at Iowa State and was named first-team All-Big 12 in 2023. He had 132 tackles, eight interceptions, and a forced fumble in his four seasons at Iowa State. Though he is not quite as strong against the run as Marcus Neal, he is a dynamic playmaker against the pass. Time will show how quickly he can return to form after his injury, but the talent is there.

Patton played in 34 games for Iowa State from 2023 to 2025. He had 79 tackles and four interceptions in his three seasons in Ames. Last year, he missed most of November with a lower body injury after starting the first nine games of the season. With Penn State experiencing heavy turnover at safety this year, Patton has a good shot to crack the starting lineup.

Vaboue Toure has appeared in seven games in two seasons at Penn State, most notably a seven-tackle effort in Penn State’s 22-10 win over Clemson in the Pinstripe Bowl last December. He is likely blocked from the starting lineup by the three Iowa State transfers, but his development will be important for Penn State moving forward. If there is an injury, Toure should be able to fill in.

Omarion Davis started two games at Boston College last season, where he recorded 13 tackles and a quarterback hurry. Like Toure, Davis is unlikely to make the starting lineup, but he should see rotational time to keep his development on a solid pace.

McDaniels played in 11 games in two seasons at Syracuse, where he made had tackles, one tackle for loss, and one pass breakup. He will likely rotate in during blowouts as starters get pulled, but he is a year away from being a major contributor on defense.

A State College native, Jashaun Green has appeared in only one game in his career. It is hard for me to see him cracking this lineup with the depth of talent, but he should be able to contribute on special teams.

Askew comes to Penn State as a three-star recruit in the 2026 class. The Georgia native was originally committed to play at James Madison but flipped to Penn State after Bob Chesney took the UCLA job. It is uncertain what his ceiling could be, but Deon Broomfield clearly liked what he saw from Askew’s tape enough to offer him.

Williams is also a three-star recruit in the 2026 class and committed to Penn State last December shortly after Matt Campbell was hired. Deon Broomfield offered him while he was at Iowa State. Both of the incoming freshmen are three-star recruits, but Broomfield had a good eye for talent during his time as safeties coach at Iowa State. Marcus Neal was a three-star recruit and has developed into an all-conference safety.