How Penn State Is Navigating the Transfer Portal

James Franklin said the Nittany Lions seek the "best players available." Penn State also has targeted needs to fill.

The NCAA Transfer Portal officially opened Monday, and with that, the fun — or stress, more likely — begins. The new wave of the portal has coaching staffs spread awfully thin trying to close high school recruiting classes and prepare for bowl games while also filling big needs in pseudo-free agency. A good portion of Penn State coach James Franklin’s media availability Sunday, meant for promoting the Nittany Lions' first appearance in the Peach Bowl, focused on the transfer portal.

"I think that's the challenge, right? You've got to, No. 1, take care of your current players and make sure that they are developing and finishing strong academically and giving yourself the best chance to be 1-0 this week or for this game,” Franklin said Sunday. “But at the same time, you'd better be bringing in players, whether it's from high school or from the transfer portal, that are going to allow you to keep growing and developing as a program and as an organization for the future.”

“It's the constant battle of those two things, and that's why you see college football staffs have gotten bigger because literally you're trying to do both at the same time constantly," Franklin added. "Obviously this time of year, right before signing period and the transfer portal opening, it magnifies it even more so."

Penn State's first portal entrant became public Monday, when punter Alex Bacchetta announced his decision. How Penn State attacks the portal hinges heavily on that and other decisions from the current roster. There are some obvious positions needs — notably receiver) — while others will be more fit-based, something Franklin mentions often. Players Penn State has a prior relationship with are the other big thing to look out for. Franklin’s staff has consistently targeted and brought in players they recruited out of high school via the portal.

“The transfer portal is open tomorrow for us and legally, but for a lot of people, it's been open for a while, which is concerning. But yeah, we'll look into its best players available,” Franklin said. “We're trying to create the most competitive roster that we possibly can. Our players understand that. We told them that when we recruited them, whether it's high school players or whether it's transfer portal guys, we just want to create as much competition as we possibly can in the locker room and go from there.”

Here are some of the most intriguing positions for Penn State to target this offseason, paired with looming decisions from current members of the roster that could impact the Lions’ plan of attack. We’ll start with the biggest need.

1. Wide receiver

This is easily the position needing the most change. The first domino tipped Monday, when defensive back-turned-receiver Cristian Driver entered the transfer portal (Audrey Snyder of The Athletic first reported the news). Driver played in just five games, catching one pass for 8 yards. 

Penn State failed to generate much at receiver for sophomore quarterback Drew Allar all season, and it showed when it mattered most in dismal performances against Ohio State and Michigan. The Lions tried to use the portal last year to avoid this scenario — via Dante Cephas and Malik McClain — though neither showed much on-field consistency.

Cephas seems like a prime candidate to stick around for his sixth season of eligibility, perhaps with a chance to unlock the potential he showed at Kent State with new offensive coordinator Andy Kotelnicki. KeAndre Lambert-Smith is the other primary question mark in the group. The fourth-year receiver had by far the best season of his career — leading Penn State with 673 yards — but wasn’t a bona fide No. 1 option and may not have appealing draft stock. His return would be a boost, but he’s certainly a candidate to leave, too.

Fans can expect Penn State to do everything its power to add at receiver this offseason. The Lions have struggled recruiting the position out of high school but are now in Year 2 with wide receivers coach Marques Hagans, his first full offseason on staff. There’s already at least one offer to a wide receiver out there publicly: Ja’Mori Maclin of North Texas, who posted 1,004 yards this season and 11 touchdowns. He’s announced a plethora of offers thus far, but it’s at the very least a sign Penn State will be in play for the cream of the crop at receiver.

2. Defensive back

Cornerback Kalen King is one of the most intriguing decisions left on Penn State’s roster. A preseason All-American, King’s late-season performance didn’t live up to his first-round draft projections and likely bumped his stock down a tier or two. He’s a prime candidate to declare for the draft still, but who knows? A hefty NIL package paired with the chance to stay another year with twin brother Kobe King could be enticing.

Kalen’s decision impacts the defensive back group as much or more than any other player at any other position on this roster. Johnny Dixon, who played a really nice year with an interception and 4.5 sacks, is out of eligibility. Daequan Hardy seems likely to go after showing some elite athleticism at punt returner paired with seven pass breakups and two interceptions from his nickel cornerback spot. Sophomore Cam Miller has significant experience, but beyond him, the cornerback spot is pretty barren.

At safety, senior captain Keaton Ellis is on his way out after starting every game last year and playing significantly out of a rotation this year. That’s a position of less concern, bolstered by standout sophomore Kevin Winston Jr., but depth could come into question. All in all, it feels like an important place for Penn State to add some bodies.

3. Defensive line

Speaking of adding bodies, the nation’s No. 1 total defense will never turn down more size and athleticism up front, especially with defensive ends Chop Robinson and Adisa Isaac virtually guaranteed to declare for the draft. Amin Vanover, Dani Dennis-Sutton and Jameial Lyons are promising returners on the edge, but that’s a position that can never have too much depth.

Defensive tackle is the intriguing spot. Penn State added Old Dominion transfer Alonzo Ford Jr. last offseason, but he missed the 2023 season with an injury. Starters Hakeem Beamon and Dvon Ellies both have sixth years available, but neither has announced a decision to this point. Franklin will always be a proponent of adding at the position, where he spent much of the early part of 2023 praising the group for adding “good weight” to stop the run.

3.5. Special teams

Columbia transfer kicker Alex Felkins was a terrific one-year rental for Penn State, turning himself into a second-team All-Big Ten selection after converting 18 of his 22 field goal attempts. He stepped in and took control of the job despite losing it to Sander Sahaydak in training camp, though Sahaydak missed two field goals in the season opener against West Virginia. It wouldn’t be surprising to see another addition to keep the heat on Sahaydak this offseason.

FAU transfer punter Riley Thomspon was similarly a strong pickup, finding his stride later in the year for the Lions. His eligibility is a mystery, though. The Australian was a freshman All-American at FAU but is listed as a senior on Penn State’s official roster. He rebuffed in-season questions about his eligibility as well. Punter Gabriel Nwosu, who has handled kickoff duties, returns, but Bacchetta's decision changes the calculus here as well.

4. Offensive line

Teams can never have too many bodies in the trenches. Coming off of a year where Penn State was relatively strong up front and returned six linemen with starting experience, 2024 will see change. Left tackle Olu Fashanu and center Hunter Nourzad will be gone. Right tackle Caedan Wallace, who had a really nice bounceback year, is a draft candidate whom Penn State will surely try to convince to stay. Right guard Sal Wormley is eligible for a sixth year, which could be his third straight as a starter. But with at least two stalwarts exiting, Penn State could use all the depth it can get.

5. Linebacker 

This isn’t really a position of need, per se. Kobe King looked great in the middle by season’s end, Abdul Carter is a known commodity, Dom DeLuca has continued to be a great story, and a few freshmen (notably Tony Rojas) and sophomores have shown promise. Longtime star Curtis Jacobs could be leaving after mulling the decision heavily last year, though his season stats and performance didn’t exactly leap off the page despite solid play.

Instead, this is a position to watch because of one name specifically that has caught eyes early in the portal: Jaishawn Barham. The Maryland linebacker was a freshman All-American and former consensus 4-star prospect who took a few visits to Penn State back then. Considering Penn State’s history in the state, Barham's portal recruiting is worth watching.

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Max Ralph is a Penn State senior studying Broadcast Journalism with minors in sports studies and Japanese. He previously covered Penn State football for two years with The Daily Collegian and has reported with the Associated Press and Pittsburgh Post-Gazette. Follow him on Twitter (X) @maxralph_ and Instagram @mralph_59.

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