Who Is Penn State Targeting in the Transfer Portal?

The Nittany Lions continue courting receivers, including Julian Fleming, formerly of Ohio State.

Since the NCAA Transfer Portal opened Dec. 4, Penn State has been decidedly quiet regarding commitments. The Nittany Lions have  received one pledge, and it’s not exactly at their No. 1 position of need. Division II offensive tackle Alan Herron committed to the Lions this week.

But there are a few needs, to be sure (wide receivers, anyone?). Penn State has multiple offers out to portal receivers and has had reported interest in others. Two players have committed to other schools, and three have visited Penn State recently.

Most can agree that receiver is where Penn State needs to improve the most with plug-and-play additions. The program's first public offer went to North Texas wide receiver Ja’Mori Maclin, a top name in the portal who since committed to Kentucky. Purdue wide receiver Deion Burkes was another portal prize with rumored interest from Penn State but moved on to Oklahoma.

Penn State’s three visits came from Ohio State veteran and former No. 1 Pennsylvania recruit Julian Fleming, Indiana utility man Jaylin Lucas and North Carolina’s Andre Greene Jr., formerly the No. 8 receiving prospect in the country. In particular, Penn State fans are taking the Fleming recruiting roller coaster for another spin. When the Southern Columbia graduate committed to Ohio State in 2019, he said Penn State was the most difficult to turn down.

"I had a real good relationship with them. It started early. So it did hurt a little bit saying no to them," Fleming told reporters at his commitment ceremony. "They were a little hurt by it. But telling Penn State no was definitely the one that stung the most, I’d say.”

Now that he’s reevaluating his options, Penn State is back in the mix and got another visit from Fleming. He also notably visited Nebraska but otherwise has kept his recruiting process quiet.

Fleming compiled 990 receiving yards and seven touchdowns in four years at Ohio State but never truly realized his potential and was overshadowed by a plethora of first-round talents. At Penn State, he’d quickly slot into the top of the rotation and have a chance to reset his career close to home. The addition would make sense on both sides.

Lucas is a really interesting name because of his skill set. At 5-9 and 170 pounds, he’s listed officially as a running back but has played wide receiver and is a top return specialist. New Penn State offensive coordinator Andy Kotelnicki has a knack for maximizing players’ talent with unique motions, formations and route trees. Lucas has upside and an official offer from Penn State, among a handful of other Power Five teams.

Penn State coach James Franklin also offered another Indiana transfer receiver, Donaven McCulley, who doesn’t appear to have visited State College to this point. McCulley, a quarterback in high school, has a 6-5 frame and turned it on as the 2023 season wound down. He finished with 644 receiving yards and six touchdowns, five of which came in the last five games. He also scored a 69-yarder at Beaver Stadium. The pair of Indiana names are intriguing, with their former head coach Tom Allen a good candidate for Penn State’s open defensive coordinator position.

Greene, who was at Penn State in the last week, posted an encouraging  photo on social media after his visit:

I had a blast on my official visit with Penn State. Happy Valley is truly an amazing place for many reasons!#WeAre🦁 pic.twitter.com/wX6KVJUvb5

— Andre Greene Jr ¹ (@DreGreeneJr) December 10, 2023

Greene is another receiver with size, at 6-2 and 200 pounds. He redshirted his first season at North Carolina before starting the bowl game, hauling in a touchdown on three catches. But his production was still sparse in Year 2 with just two catches for 17 yards. Penn State would have to hope it can unlock something new in his game, though getting him on campus is a positive sign in his recruitment.

Penn State doesn’t have a ton of public movement beyond wide receivers at this time, so all eyes are on the position for now. Who knows when these recruitments will pop, but Penn State is certainly looking to add at the position. The Lions are at least in line to add three names to the receiving corps next week, as National Signing Day falls on Wednesday. Four-star receivers Josiah Brown and Tyseer Denmark and three-star Peter Gonzalez all are expected to sign their Letters of Intent.

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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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