Game log · Week-by-week
2026 season · 3 games
| Wk | Opp | TKL | SOLO | TFL | SACK | INT | PD | Note |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Wk 1 | W 45-0vs Marshall | 3 | 3 | 0.0 | 0.0 | — | 0 | Season-high 3 tackles |
| Wk 2 | W 27-9@ Temple | 3 | 3 | 0.0 | 0.0 | — | 0 | |
| Wk 3 | W 55-13vs Buffalo | 2 | 2 | 0.0 | 0.0 | — | 0 | |
| Total | 8 | 8 | 0.0 | 0.0 | — | 0 |
#31
Marcus Neal
Junior safety on Penn State's 2026 roster.
6′1″ · 216 lb · Kansas City, MO
CFB Index 82 · #33 of 544 safetiesMedium confidenceTransferred Iowa State → Penn State for 2026
CFB Index
A single number blending on-field production (an EPA-based value lane) with box-score output for this player's position.
0-100, scaled within each position's own cohort — not directly comparable across positions.
Recruiting
3★
S recruit
No. 1082 nationally · Signed with Iowa State
Last played in 2026.
His career numbers, season by seasonThe story
Junior safety on Penn State's 2026 roster.
- Signed as a 3-star recruit to Iowa State in 2024.
- Transferred from Iowa State to Penn State in 2026.
Buzz vs Tape
Fans warmer than rivals
His own fans are far more bullish than the rival fanbase.
21.4own fans
-70rival fans
Marcus Neal
Plays like an extra linebacker near the line. Marcus Neal arrived at Penn State from Iowa State. One game to point at: 3 tackles against Temple — Week 2, 2026.
8 TACKLES · 0 SACKS
Low coverage — composed from the verified record.
- season totals
- positional archetype classification
- portal record
- game log
His career
5 programs, one constant: he played.
20247 games
- Signed with Iowa State3-star out of Raytown South
20263 games
- Entered the portal
- Entered the portal
- Entered the portal
- Entered the portal
Career arc
HS
Recruit
★★★
CFB
College
2 teams
NFL
NFL Draft
—
Coaching lineage · 2024–2026
3 coachesPlayed under 3 different head coaches: James Franklin, Terry Smith, and Matt Campbell. Multi-era developmental context.
Where He Ended Up · Transfer
Transferred to Penn State
2025Iowa State
2026Penn State
Career stats
| Season | Team | |||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2026 | Penn State | 8 | 8 | 0.0 | 0.0 | -- | -- | -- |
| 2025 | Iowa State | 77 | 40 | 11.0 | 1.0 | 3 | 2 | -- |
| 2024 | Iowa State | 18 | 6 | 1.0 | 1.0 | -- | -- | -- |
| Career | 103 | 54 | 12.0 | 2.0 | 3 | 2 | -- |
Game log
Game by game
Marcus Neal's 2026 production
Point color shows the opponent's defensive strength that week (red = weaker defense, blue = stronger) — dashed line is this player's own season average.
Signature game
SIGNATURE GAME · Week 2 · 2026
W 27–9
at Temple
2026 snapshot
Since week 2: +2 tackles.
Season context · Team result + system
2024Iowa State11-3HC: Matt Campbell · Balanced
2025Iowa State8-4HC: Matt Campbell · Run-leaning
2026Penn State3-0HC: Matt Campbell · Run-heavy
Where this defender ranks vs the field
Box-score production percentiles vs the position cohort
Medium confidenceReinvented
Concern: tackles (0th percentile).
Box-score production (7)
Percentiles are versus same-position peers with enough snaps this season, based on box-score production. There are no play-by-play efficiency bars here: CFBD's play-value model credits offensive players only, so no defensive EPA exists to rank.
Splits & context
Splits · Per-game
2026 season · 3 games
Home vs Road
| TKL/g | TFL/g | SACK/g | PD/g | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Home2g | 2.5 | 0.0 | 0.0 | 0.0 |
| Road1g | 3.0 | 0.0 | 0.0 | 0.0 |
First half vs Second half
| TKL/g | TFL/g | SACK/g | PD/g | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Weeks 1-73g | 2.7 | 0.0 | 0.0 | 0.0 |
Supporting cast · Scheme
Staff and system around the player
Head Coach
Matt Campbell
Pass share
40.0%
80 pass / 120 run
Plays / game
66.7
3 games
Team sack rate
3.5%
86 dropbacks · PBP
Scheme: Run-heavy.
Awards
Player standing · 2025
Impact starter
Tackle volume for the position among the most productive regulars.
Recognition
Roster2-deepStarterRecognizedEliteApex
Production · CFB Index Score
82 · #33 of 544 safeties
Three-star recruit. Now #33 at the position.
How he plays
Play style
Lives near the line of scrimmage as a de facto extra linebacker.
CFB Index positional classification
DNA match
Player DNA
Box Safety
Lives near the line of scrimmage as a de facto extra linebacker.
S
His 2025 production profile sits closest to Mike Brown’s 2021 season.
69%match
Matches Mike on
TFL rate
Weight
PD rate
Differs from Mike on
Class year (lower)
Not enough data yet for this comparison.
As a sophomore, his production profile tracks closest to Myles Graham's sophomore season at Florida (2025).
83%match
Matches Myles on
Class year
Tackle volume
PD rate
Differs from Myles on
TFL rate (higher)
Player DNA
Players who play like Marcus Neal
The secondary · Penn State
- #31Marcus Neal77 tackles · 2025
- #3Jamison Patton48 tackles · 2025
- #2Audavion Collins47 tackles · 2025
- #7Zion Tracy32 tackles · 2025
- #5Daryus Dixson24 tackles · 2025
16 more on the roster · Penn State team page
Stats from CFBD · ESPN · fan discourse. Every figure computed from source tables — not invented. Methodology