Penn State’s Top 10 Players For 2026: No. 4 Marcus Neal Jr.
The BSD staff recently voted for the top 10 Penn State players heading into 2026. The votes are dictated by how the players are expected to perform in the upcoming season, without factoring in long-term or NFL potential. Each member submitted a ballot with players ranked 1-10, with a first-place vote being 10 points, a second […]
Fort Worth, TX - November 08: The BSD staff recently cast votes for the top 10 Penn State players for the 2026 season, ranking them 1-10 based on expected performance, without considering long-term potential or NFL prospects. The top safety on this list is Marcus Neal Jr., a member of the 2024 recruiting class who committed to Iowa State.
Neal's journey began with his recruitment by Iowa State as a three-star, 110th ranked safety. In just two seasons, he transformed into an all-conference caliber player, earning third team All-Big 12 honors in 2025. During that time, Neal amassed 77 tackles, 2 interceptions, 1 forced fumble, and 1 sack.
Upon Matt Campbell's arrival at Penn State, Neal followed suit and joined the team. Looking ahead to 2026, it is expected that Neal will be a starter and among the top safeties in the Big Ten, provided his performance continues on track. While his pass coverage could use improvement, Penn State's strong secondary should mitigate this issue. Neal also contributed two interceptions last year during his first season as a starter.
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