Penn State Sports Magazine
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6 J A N U A R Y 2 0 2 3 W W W . B L U E W H I T E O N L I N E . C O M F ollowing months of pressure build- ing, the dam let loose on Dec. 5. It was on that Monday that FBS players who were not labeled graduate transfer or had been a part of a program that underwent a coaching change could attempt to navigate the NCAA transfer portal. In total, 467 FBS scholarship players went into the portal that day, including four from Penn State. The portal, which has been around since October 2018, has morphed into one of the defining subcategories of college football in the past four years. What first was propped up as a system to manage and facilitate transfers for student-athletes has become a form of free agency. A 2021 rule change that allowed for a one-time free transfer has had unin- tended consequences that have trick- led down to the developmental level. Players who are not factoring in by their second season on campus, or even their first season at times, are finding their way out of the program and into the transfer portal. These days, a player like Nick Scott maybe wouldn't stick around. Scott was a running back at Penn State who saw his role diminish when Saquon Barkley took charge of the position during his true freshman season in 2015. Rather than transfer, Scott moved to defense. He's now starting at free safety for the defending Super Bowl champion Los Angeles Rams. "I worry a little bit in college football that you'll have less stories like that because guys won't wait to be devel- oped," coach James Franklin said on National Signing Day. "A lot of times, in the time it's going to take to develop some of these play- ers, they're going to go in the transfer portal. I think having those conversa tions now more than ever is really im- portant. "A player may be ready in Year 1. If he is, awesome. [But it's important] to make sure that if he's not, he under- stands there's still time to achieve your dreams." It's only getting more complicated with name, image and likeness consid- erations taking hold of college football. Several that have jumped into the portal this offseason have done so with the expectation of money waiting on the other side. That's where the sport is headed, and programs like Penn State are still trying to navigate the gray area of signing more proven players with money as a factor. "Money drives all of us to a degree, and there's nothing wrong with that at all," said Andy Frank, Penn State's director of player personnel. "We take jobs a lot of times because of money, and this is a similar type of situation. "But you also want kids who want to be here for the place, for the education, for the people. Money isn't everything. "If someone is offering you $5 million more than what you're currently get- ting, you might pick a different place. But if it's not dramatic, in the long term, what's best for you picking those places? "I think you try to wade through those conversations, and you'll want the kids that want to be here for all the right reasons. I'm not saying money is a wrong reason, but you've got to have the other reasons, too." Penn State has been one of the pro- grams that can claim success in the offseason market. The Nittany Lions have hit on defensive ends in back-to- back portal cycles in Arnold Ebiketie and current sophomore Chop Rob- inson. This offseason, they're hop- ing to replenish a wide receiver corps that will lose its top two producers in Parker Washington and Mitchell Tin- sley. It's not as easy as picking and choos- ing talent, however. The portal has, in some instances, been faster-paced and more intense than the heated recruit- ing battles leading up to signing day. "I think a lot of things that the NCAA comes up with probably in theory make sense," Franklin said. "As always, I don't know if there's enough conversation going on with the actual practitioners. "In terms of the transfer process, I think you can have all the conversa- tions you want beforehand, but when it hits, it's different. … It's just a very different pace." ■ Nick Scott saw his playing time at running back diminish in 2015 when Saquon Barkley arrived. He moved to defense the following year and developed into a draft-worthy safety. He's now getting set to conclude his fourth season in the NFL. PHOTO BY STEVE MANUEL Amid A December Whirlwind, James Franklin Urges Patience JUDGMENT CALL O P I N I O N SEAN FITZ SEAN.FITZ@ON3.COM