Blue White Illustrated

LAST WORD D A V I D E C K E R T | D A V I D E C K E R T 9 8 @ G M A I L . C O M he institution of a one-time trans- fer rule, allowing for the immediate eligibility of college athletes across the country, has often been likened to free agency in professional sports. It makes sense, to be sure. Upon en- tering the transfer portal, athletes are free to weigh their options and select a school that fits their needs. But looking at this off-season from a broader per- spective, there's something that makes it feel like one big trade. Players in, players out, impact still to be deter- mined. Some teams made blockbuster deals, others made subtle additions and sub- tractions. For James Franklin and the Nittany Lions, it feels like reality is somewhere in between the two ex- tremes. Like any juicy trade, there's plenty of analysis to be done. Did Penn State get better through its transfer dealings, or did it get worse? Let's start with the additions. At the top of the impact scale has to be Arnold Ebiketie. Ebiketie arrives at a position of need for the Nittany Lions: defensive end. He was one of the best pass rushers in the American Athletic Conference last sea- son, getting to the quarterback four times in six games. Defensive line spe- cialist Eddy McGilvra, who trained Ebiketie this off-season, called him a potential top-100 pick in next year's NFL Draft. Joining him along the defensive front is defensive tackle Derrick Tangelo, a Duke transfer who also elicited praise this past spring. Tangelo started every game for the Blue Devils in 2020 and proved to be an effective pass rusher from the interior of the defensive line, pressuring the quarterback 18 times in 11 games. He will have one season of eli- gibility at Penn State, where he is filling a vacancy that opened up when Antonio Shelton transferred to Florida. Additionally, it's easy to imagine Johnny Dixon seeing some serious time in Penn State's secondary after he started several games as a sophomore cornerback for South Carolina. Dixon is joined by late addition A.J. Lytton, a former top-100 cornerback prospect as rated by Rivals.com. Things didn't work out for Lytton at Florida State, as he left the team before the beginning of the 2020 season. He started one game in two seasons with the Seminoles, but it's clear there is some talent there for Franklin and his staff to harness. Penn State made a pair of additions on the offensive side of the ball as well, with experienced running back John Lovett arriving from Baylor and guard Eric Wilson coming in from Harvard. Lovett totaled more than 1,800 rushing yards in four seasons with the Bears and will bring a veteran presence to a tal- ented but young group of running backs. Wilson enrolled in June, and until Lytton's addition, he was the new ar- rival we had heard the least about, mostly because of the way in which last year's upheaval played havoc with his career. He had been one of the better linemen in the Ivy League in 2019 but did not play in 2020, as the conference canceled the season. Each of those players has the ability to make some kind of impact in 2021, and their arrival gives Penn State reason to feel good about its portal adventures this off-season, especially when you compare those players to the ones who have exited the program. Shelton's absence will likely be felt the most. The Nittany Lions are only miss- ing out on one year of his services, but he was an honorable mention All-Big Ten selection by both the coaches and the media in 2020 after finishing with 3.5 sacks. He appeared in 40 games over the course of his Penn State career and started 10 of them. Franklin and com- pany did manage to find a quality re- placement in Tangelo, but Shelton will still be a big miss. On the opposite side of the ball, Will Levis's departure for Kentucky also stings. His exit deprived the Nittany Lions of their only experienced alterna- tive to quarterback Sean Clifford, and he was an important figure in their running game. C.J. Thorpe had yet to announce his transfer destination as of late June, but he's no longer on Penn State's roster and was a useful offensive lineman, despite never locking down a starting role. Lance Dixon is one loss that could be painful for the Penn State staff down the line. The four-star linebacker has show- cased plenty of talent and will look to take the next step at West Virginia. Beyond Dixon, though, Micah Bowens, T.J. Jones and Judge Culpepper struggled to crack Penn State's rotation. And defensive end Shane Simmons, while valuable for his experience, didn't seem likely to fit into the team's plans. All of that is to say, Franklin should be earning more praise for how he's han- dled the changes that college football has undergone recently. He brought in six potential impact players and watched only one regular starter walk through the door. In this transfer trade-off, Penn State has emerged victorious. ■ Addition and subtraction T

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