The transfer portal went live on Monday, marking the beginning of a 20-day period from Monday through December 28 during which players can use the web to look for a new college program. For ten more days, the portal won’t reopen until April 16.
Just reserve tight end Jerry Cross and rookie defensive tackle T.A. Cunningham have announced their departures from Happy Valley, making Penn State relatively quiet in terms of departures. However, as James Franklin stated this week, Penn State will be quite aggressive in their search for additions.
The Nittany Lions still have a game against SMU at home on December 21 in the College Football Playoffs. Franklin estimated that his team might be a week behind others in developing a plan for the portal, which they will accomplish this week, especially considering that they lost to Oregon 45-37 in the Big Ten Championship this past weekend.
The problem that I don’t think many people consider is that you usually have time to sit down with all of your players and find out what’s going on after your season is over and you’re preparing for a bowl game. Franklin asked who was returning, who was thinking about using the transfer site, and who was actually using it. And many of those factors influence your choice of who you will attempt to approach in order to replace those guys.
However, I’ve urged our employees to be proactive and make certain choices in areas where we believe we’ll need them,” he continued.
Over the past few weeks, Franklin and other Penn State employees have reaffirmed that the Nittany Lions are not a major transfer portal team. The staff prefers to concentrate on recruiting and developing high school prospects and only target positions of need rather than looking for any exceptional players that might be available. Only eleven players from FBS colleges transferred to Penn State for the 2024 season. The Lions also frequently target athletes they heavily recruited from high school, which is a crucial consideration for many portal targets.
At the conclusion of the regular season, Franklin refused to name particular positions where he believed Penn State would need to make additions, stating that games were still to be played.
Starting with some obvious positions and spotlighting a few less well-known ones, we’ll examine some of the ones Penn State appears most likely to search for via the portal. Additionally, we’ll include a few names to keep an eye on at specific locations, some of which are names we’ve heard are associated with Penn State and others that make sense from the outside.
Broad receiver
This one should go without saying, but Penn State will keep focusing on wide receivers until it resolves a pervasive belief that the position is impeding the Nittany Lions. With 14 receptions for 176 yards and one touchdown this season, Julian Fleming, who transferred from Ohio State, has made a very small impact. Despite being Penn State’s best wide receiver, Harrison Wallace III has only caught 39 passes for 638 yards and four touchdowns. Tyler Warren is a fantastic tight end, and without him, the passing game would be even more of a mystery.
However, there is good news for Penn State supporters: there will be a ton of receiving skill on the transfer portal. The Nittany Lions are already targeting players like Kevin Concepcion of NC State (53, 460, 6, 8.7), Reggie Virgil of Miami Ohio (41, 816, 9, 19.9), and Eric Rivers of FIU (62 receptions, 1,172 yards, 12 touchdowns, 18.9 yards per grab). Although some bigger names, like Kentucky’s Barion Brown and Auburn’s top freshman Cam Coleman, have already made themselves available, it’s difficult to predict how high Penn State can or will swing at the position.
At Hersheypark Stadium, Imhotep’s Enai White will play Penn Trafford in their PIAA Class 5A championship game. December 10, 2021 |[email protected] Sean Simmers
Line of defense
Their talented defensive line will probably be a big loss for the Nittany Lions. End Abdul Carter is a certain first-round selection, tackle Dvon J-Thomas is no longer eligible, and tackle Zane Durant and end Dani Dennis-Sutton will have interesting NFL choices to make. Although both positions have young, talented athletes, Penn State will undoubtedly try to acquire depth and most likely at least one impact player.
Enai White, an edge rusher at Texas A&M, was formerly ranked as Pennsylvania’s second-best prospect from Imhotep Charter. Penn State may try to jump at this position by looking for lower-level players, as Derrick Tangelo and Alonzo Ford have done in the past. Two names that have stood out thus far are James Madison’s Darold DeNgoghe (from Pennsylvania) and Kameron Olds of Kent State.
Josiah Trotter, a linebacker for West Virginia, is stiff-armed by Penn State quarterback Drew Allar in the fourth quarter. 31 August 2024.
[email protected] Joe HermittPennLive
Linebacker
The lack of depth at linebacker has contributed to Penn State’s difficulties in halting the run against top opponents this season. Though other starting Tony Rojas is still raw overall, captain Kobe King has played good football. The staff is waiting to see what younger talent like Anthony Speca and Ta Mere Robinson can become, since there isn’t much depth behind them.
Star West Virginia freshman Josiah Trotter and Bowling Green veteran Joseph Sipp Jr. were the first candidates that came to mind for the role. Trotter is a graduate of Philadelphia’s St. Joe’s Prep, and the Lions’ game against the Falcons gave them a close-up look at Sipp, who recorded 75 tackles this season.
The unseen contributes
Additions to the offensive line will be considered by Penn State. Position coach Phil Trautwein can never have enough guys up front, even though right guard Sal Wormley is the lone current starter who will lose eligibility in 2025. Additionally, there might be a focus on acquiring athletic linemen that complement OC Andy Kotelnicki’s strategy.
Kaytron Allen and Nicholas Singleton, both junior running backs, may depart for the draft this year. Behind them are some very good young players, such as Quinton Martin and Corey Smith, freshmen, and Cam Wallace, who is injured. Tiqwai Hayes and Jabree Wallace-Coleman are two additional gifted freshmen in the 2025 class. However, it would make sense to acquire a veteran like Trey Potts in 2023 who can bring spark on limited touches.
Lastly, the defensive back position will be one of relative necessity. While the injured Kevin Winston Jr. may think about joining the NFL, star senior Jaylen Reed will no longer be eligible. Jalen Kimber, the starting corner, also runs out of eligibility. Like the offensive line, there are plenty of young players the coaching like at corner who don’t worry about the position’s future. However, you can never have too many people at either corner or safety.
One-time pledge to Penn State At the corner, look out for Pittsburgh native Raion Strader, who previously attended Miami Ohio, and Jordan Allen, who formerly attended LSU. Although he has no past connections to Penn State, Purdue standout safety Dillon Thieneman might be a good addition with Big Ten experience.
Stories by
Max Ralph
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