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.
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.
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