Penn State football misses on Ex-Michigan defender in transfer portal

Originally posted on Basic Blues Nation
By Morgan Chapman | Last updated 2/20/24

While it was late in the transfer portal cycle the Penn State football team was in the hunt for Keon Sabb. The veteran safety and ex-Michigan football player was a target for the Nittany Lions, however, Sabb has made his decision to commit to Alabama. With this decision incoming how will Penn State stack up at safety this season and will this miss have a major impact on 2024?

Penn State football misses on Ex-Michigan defender in transfer portal

It was reported by Hayes Fawcett of On3 that Penn State was one of 18 schools that contacted Keon Sabb while he was in the transfer portal. But that cycle was short-lived after Fawcett announced on Monday night that Sabb had made his commitment to Kalen DeBoer and Alabama. After the Crimson Tide lost their star safety Caleb Downs to Ohio State in the transfer portal they were able to back fill his position with another rising star.

BREAKING: Former Michigan Safety Keon Sabb has officially Committed to Alabama, he tells @on3sports

The 6’2 208 S totaled 28 Tackles, 2 INTs, & 4 Passes Defended in 2023 for the Wolverines

Will have 3 years of eligibility remaining https://t.co/SyXjNPZgFq pic.twitter.com/Pxkd3LxSRu

— Hayes Fawcett (@Hayesfawcett3) February 20, 2024

It made sense for the Penn State football team to be interested in Sabb as he listed the Nittany Lions on his top 6 schools in high school. He made two visits to Penn State before ultimately committing to Michigan. He played a significant role in the Wolverines National Champion season in 2o23. Now, Sabb looks to potentially run it back with Alabama.

Reviewing the safety room for Penn State

Now, Keon Sabb is out of the picture for the Nittany Lions how does the safety room look in 2024? Well, two players with several career starts will be holding down the back end Kevin [KJ] Winston Jr and Jaylen Reed. Both players stood out in 2023.

Zakee Wheatley will likely rotate in as he has appeared in several games during his Penn State career. Then, you have a player such as King Mack who did not redshirt last season during his true freshman campaign. If he has a path to more playing time the secondary could be special in 2024. At the end of the day, missing Sabb is not the end of the world for Penn State.

This article first appeared on Basic Blues Nation and was syndicated with permission.

More must-reads: