Penn State Sports Magazine
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6 F E B R 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 P enn State's foray into the transfer portal in the offseason window didn't provide the splash of previous cycles, but the Nittany Lions still man- aged to pull a few players who should help them on the field in 2023. While James Franklin and his staff still have work to do in the next window, which will open for 15 days beginning May 1, Penn State addressed a few key needs before the spring semester. But was it a win for the Nittany Li- ons? Answering that question is a bit more difficult than simply lining up the comings and the goings and comparing the two. The ongoing marketplace has essentially morphed into free agency, meaning that coaching staffs are forced to not only assemble more talent, but also spend an inordinate amount of time retaining what they already have on the roster. From that standpoint, the first transfer cycle was a major win for the Nittany Lions. Penn State lost four players on of- fense to the portal in December. Of those four, only running back Keyvone Lee earned multiple starts during his time in Happy Valley. By the end of his Penn State career, he was a clear No. 3 behind emerging freshman backs Nicholas Singleton and Kaytron Allen. Lee will likely find a Power Five landing spot, but he only played 68 snaps for the Lions in 2022. Quarterback Christian Veilleux, wide receiver Jaden Dottin and freshman of- fensive lineman Maleek McNeil, who left the team earlier in the fall, also made it to the portal. Veilleux enrolled at Pitt this spring and will have a chance to be a fu- ture starter for the Panthers. Defensively, six scholarship reserves hit the portal looking for a new home, with one of those players — redshirt sophomore defensive lineman Davon Townley Jr. — returning to the Nittany Lions for the spring. Of the rest, only cornerback Marquis Wilson played ex- tended reps for Penn State during his career. Wilson will graduate from Penn State at the end of the spring and spend his final year elsewhere. Defensive linemen Rodney McGraw and Fatorma Mulbah landed at Louisville and West Virginia, respectively. The lack of attrition for Penn State, quite frankly, was staggering for the portal era. The Nittany Lions leaned into what they consider to be a strong locker room and culture and came away losing only nine scholarship players. In a time when coaches were holding on tight hoping that players wouldn't test the waters to find a potential name, image and likeness deal, that's a remarkably low number. Penn State has also been able to use the portal to fill the gaps in its depth chart the past few years. In the current cycle, the wide receiver position was of paramount importance. The Nittany Lions are expected to return one of their most talented rosters in re- cent memory and need to surround ex- pected starting quarterback Drew Allar with as much receiving talent as possible with Parker Washington and Mitchell Tinsley moving on. The running game should be there, the offensive line and tight ends, as well. But 97 catches walked out the door from the receiver posi- tion, and that's something that Franklin wanted to address immediately. Dec. 5 was the opening day for most FBS prospects to enter the portal. Right away, four top targets emerged for the Nittany Lions. Oregon's Dont'e Thorn- ton and Kent State's Dante Cephas were first in, followed by Cephas' Golden Flashes teammate Devontez Walker and West Virginia's Kaden Prather. The Nittany Lions ended up offering more than a dozen potential wideouts but were unable to close the deal on any until just after the Rose Bowl, when former NC State standout Devin Carter called the staff to commit out of the blue. Naturally, nothing came easy. Carter backed away from his commitment shortly before the semester started and landed at West Virginia. The consterna- tion surrounding portal recruiting was a factor in Franklin letting wide receivers coach Taylor Stubblefield go on Jan. 15. Later that evening, however, Cephas an- nounced for the Nittany Lions. The se- nior receiver will enroll at PSU following his Kent State graduation in May. Another addition to the 2023 wideout corps is junior Malik McClain, formerly of Florida State, whom the Nittany Lions got into school right at the buzzer for the spring semester. He and Cephas imme- diately upgrade the outlook of the room. Penn State also added three senior transfers in December: cornerback Storm Duck of North Carolina, punter Riley Thompson of Florida Atlantic and kicker Alex Felkins of Columbia. That gives the Lions five players who can make them better in 2023. Penn State did fall short at defensive tackle, another primary need in the cycle, and the staff would have liked to bring in another of- fensive lineman and running back. All three will be priorities when the window opens again in May. With Round 1 in the books, though, Penn State came out of the portal ahead by a healthy margin. ■ Cornerback Storm Duck, formerly of North Carolina, enrolled at Penn State in January, one of five players to commit to the Lions while the transfer window was open. PHOTO BY JEFFREY CAMARATI/UNC ATHLETICS With Portal Window Closed, PSU Comes Out Ahead JUDGMENT CALL O P I N I O N SEAN FITZ SEAN.FITZ@ON3.COM