The NCAA transfer portal has not been a friend of Penn State University. 11 football players have entered the portal with intent to transfer. 8 of whom have received or intend to receive their degrees by spring, meaning they will be eligible to play at their new school right away. The other players will likely be required to sit out a season before they are eligible to play at their new school. So, what does this mean for the team?
Right now, it doesn’t mean much. First of all, entering the portal doesn’t necessarily mean that these players are going to leave Penn State, it just means that other schools and coaches are able to contact the players. Also, most of the players entering into the transfer portal were not starters (beside wide receiver Juwan Johnson), meaning that nothing much will change from their intentions to transfer. However, many seniors are leaving and 5 juniors declared for the NFL draft. So, combined, the Penn State Nittany Lions football team may lose a large amount of players.
The reasoning behind these player’s decisions are mostly unknown. Linebacker Dae’lun Darien revealed that he intends to transfer to a school closer to home because of an illness in the family. Three other players have chosen their schools including Brelin Faison-Walden who will attend UNC Charlotte, Isaiah Humphries who will attend University of California, and Sterling Jenkins who will attend Duquesne. Other players in the portal have yet to announce where they will attend after their time at PSU.
PSU’s already young team will rely on, mostly, the underclassmen for next season. James Franklin also reported that he is recruiting new players with transfers in mind. Many are hoping that the 11 already in the portal will be the only players to enter, however, there is a chance that Penn State will lose even more.
https://www.ydr.com/story/sports/college/penn-state/football/2019/01/20/penn-state-football-ncaa-transfer-rule-good-bad-lions-11-players-leaving-portal/2600095002/
https://www.mcall.com/sports/college/psu/mc-spt-penn-state-football-transfers-20190114-story.html
Hi Kerry! I did not know you were so interested in sports. That’s so cool! Your post was very informative for me. I know nothing about football and sports in general, so I really liked getting to know more about what’s going on here at PSU football wise. I can’t wait to check out your blog again. Thanks for keeping me educated on our football situation… which I should for sure know more about! Love ya
igd5013= Bella D’Aderio