Khalil Mack

Early life

Mack was raised by his parents: Yolanda, a teacher, and Sandy Mack Sr., a program specialist, in Fort Pierce, Florida. He has two brothers: Sandy Jr. and LeDarius. Mack's father introduced him to sports at age five. Mack took an early liking to baseball and basketball although he played Pop Warner football.

Mack attended Fort Pierce Westwood High School in Fort Pierce. For the majority of his athletic career, Mack had been relying on basketball to get him a college scholarship, but his plans were dashed by a tear in his patella tendon before his sophomore season. After this injury, his high school football coach, Waides Ashmon, recruited Mack to the sport, promising him and his parents that it would earn him a scholarship. Mack had played quarterback and was nicknamed "Bombshell Man." However, throwing the ball short was a major struggle for Mack, so he decided to become a linebacker.

In his only year of high school football, Mack had 140 tackles, including eight for a loss, and nine sacks. He was named third-team All-State in Florida, as well as first-team All-Area, and helped lead the Panthers to a district championship. Being a newcomer to the sport, Mack was rated as only a two-star recruit by Rivals.com and was not rated by ESPN's recruiting service. He received a scholarship from the University at Buffalo to play Division I football.

College career

After redshirting as a freshman in 2009, Mack broke into the Bulls' starting lineup and was one of the most productive defenders in the Mid-American Conference (MAC). He totaled 68 tackles, including 14+1⁄2 for loss, 4+1⁄2 sacks, 10 pass breakups, eight quarterback hurries, and two forced fumbles. Mack earned third-team all-conference honors. He chose to wear the uniform number 46 as a motivational reminder that his true potential was not being recognized – 46 was the overall rating assigned to him (out of a maximum of 99) in EA Sports' college football video game, NCAA Football 11.

Mack continued where he left off in 2010, with a dominant sophomore season. Mack led the team in sacks, tackles for loss, and forced fumbles, on the way to being named first-team All-MAC. He recorded 64 total tackles, including 20+1⁄2 for loss (third best in the nation), 5+1⁄2 sacks, one interception, two pass breakups, thirteen quarterback hurries, and five forced fumbles. Despite being suspended for the first game of the season following an altercation with teammate wide receiver Fred Lee, Mack set career highs in tackles (94), tackles for loss (21 – fourth in the nation), and sacks (8). He also recorded two pass breakups, four quarterback hurries, and four forced fumbles. Mack earned first-team all-conference honors for the second consecutive season.

Starting all 13 games, Mack recorded 100 tackles including 19 tackles for loss, 10.5 sacks, three interceptions, one of which he returned for a touchdown, and forced five fumbles. Mack won the CFPA Linebacker Trophy for the 2013 season, and was named the 2013 MAC Defensive Player of the Year, becoming the first Bull to win the award in Buffalo's history within the MAC (1999–present). He was also named a second-team All-American by the Associated Press (AP). Mack finished tied for first for the NCAA in career tackles for loss with 75 and set a new record for forced fumbles with 16. Buffalo's independent student newspaper, The Spectrum, also ranked Mack as the best Buffalo football player in the Division I history of the program. Mack was elected to the University at Buffalo Athletics Hall of Fame as part of the class of 2024.

Personal life

Mack taught himself to play guitar as a freshman at the University at Buffalo. His reputation as a singer led his Raiders teammates to attempt to goad him into singing R. Kelly and Usher songs. Mack is a fan of musicians Tim McGraw and Hanson.

Mack is an active Christian and spent much of his youth attending a church where his father and mother both served as deacons.

In 2017, Mack's younger brother LeDarius joined his alma mater, the University at Buffalo, after two years at ASA College in Miami. LeDarius joined his brother on the Bears as an undrafted free agent in 2020, and was later signed to the practice squad.