Penn State Lands a Portal Receiver After the Rose Bowl

Former N.C. State receiver Devin Carter commits to the Lions following their Rose Bowl win.

PASADENA, Calif. | Recruiting never sleeps. Penn State proved that Monday night at the Rose Bowl.

Barely an hour after their 35-21 win over Utah, the Lions received a commitment from former N.C. State receiver Devin Carter, who entered the transfer portal in December. Carter announced his decision on social media.

Carter, who spent five years at North Carolina State, was a four-year starter who missed three games in 2022 with injuries. He caught 25 passes for 406 yards and two touchdowns last season. Carter has one season of eligibility remaining as a graduate transfer.

When healthy, Carter (6-3, 215 pounds) is playmaking receiver who caught 10 career touchdowns at North Carolina State. Initially, Wolfpack coach Dave Doeren said in mid-December that Carter would skip the team's bowl game and enter the NFL Draft, but Carter quickly countered that, saying he had not made a decision.

Carter, a 3-star prospect in high school, also received portal offers from West Virginia and Old Dominion. He helps fill a roster need that Penn State coach James Franklin made clear on Signing Day.

The Lions are losing their top two receivers, Parker Washington and Mitchell Tinsley, to the NFL Draft. KeAndre Lambert-Smith finished the season with two strong games, making the longest touchdown catch in Rose Bowl history, but the Lions want more production at the position.

Penn State is involved with several receivers in the portal, notably Kent State's Dante Cephas, who caught 48 passes for 744 yards this season.

"That's a position where I could see us signing a couple more guys just to make sure that we have the competition at that position on a similar scale that we do at tight end and running back," Franklin said on Signing Day. "I think that's going to be important for us moving forward."

Carter is the third transfer player to commit to Penn State following the regular season, joining former North Carolina cornerback Storm Duck and punter Riley Thompson and follo

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