Penn State Sports Magazine
Issue link: https://comanpub.uberflip.com/i/1516624
M A R C H 2 0 2 4 5 3 W W W . B L U E W H I T E O N L I N E . C O M / / / / / / / / / / / / / / / / / / / / / / / / / / / / / / / / / / / / / / / / / / / / / / / / / / / / / / T R A N S F E R S / / / / / / / You can never have too much depth at defensive end, and Penn State bolstered its edge-rushing corps in December when it added redshirt freshman Jordan Mayer. Listed at 6-foot-4, 228 pounds, Mayer spent his first college season at Wiscon- sin before deciding on Dec. 7 to enter the transfer portal. He was listed as an outside linebacker on the 2023 Wisconsin roster but has been stationed at defensive end by Penn State. He didn't receive any game reps in his lone season with the Badgers, giving him four years to play four. A 2023 prospect, Mayer played at Thomas Jefferson High in Clairton, Pa. He visited with Penn State head coach James Franklin and his staff back in January 2022 but didn't earn a scholarship offer from the Lions. Mayer committed to Boston College in March of that year, but after earning an offer from Wisconsin a month later, he began reconsidering his options. Mayer took an official visit to Cincin- nati in June 2022 and had visits scheduled to Virginia Tech and West Virginia later that month. However, once he took his official visit to Wisconsin the following week, he was sold. Shortly afterward, he committed to the Badgers. Mayer originally committed to head coach Paul Chryst, and he followed through on that pledge even after the veteran coach was dismissed in October 2022. Coming out of high school, Mayer earned a three-star grade in the On3 Industry Ranking and was the No. 16 player in Pennsylvania for the 2023 class. Duke, Georgia Tech, Rutgers, Syracuse and Vanderbilt were the other Power Five schools among the 22 that offered. Now that he's found the right fit at Penn State, Mayer will work to earn snaps at a position that has been a con- sistent strength for the Nittany Lions under Franklin. BWI analyst Thomas Frank Carr sees the potential for steady development. "Mayer's best-case scenario would be to play a role similar to the one current redshirt senior defensive tackle Jordan van den Berg did in 2021," Carr noted. "After transferring in from Iowa Western, he totaled 63 snaps over four games while developing his strength and technique for the Big Ten level. Mayer can hope to do the same or better." — Ryan Snyder Jalen Kimber has been an in-demand cornerback ever since emerging as a four-star prospect out of Mansfield (Texas) Timberview High. And of the many schools that wanted him, a fair number have received his commitment. Listed as the No. 10 cornerback and No. 116 overall prospect in the On3 In- dustry Ranking for the 2020 class, Kim- ber started his career at Georgia, ap- pearing in four games during his first two campaigns in Athens, the second of which ended with a season-ending injury. He then transferred to Florida ahead of his redshirt sophomore season. Kimber played in all 13 games and finished with 13 tackles, an interception and a pass breakup. His second season in Gainesville was the breakthrough. Kimber started 11 games for the Gators that year, finishing with 23 tackles and ranking second on the team with 5 pass breakups. After the season, he entered the portal again and thought initially that Louis- ville would be the best fit, committing to the Cardinals on Dec. 30. Then he thought some more. Kimber eventually changed his com- mitment to Penn State and has been on campus this winter, making his case to take over one of the Nittany Lions' starting cornerback spots following the departure of Kalen King and Johnny Dixon. "Throughout this journey, I've learned a lot about myself and the importance of a school that aligns with my academic and athletic needs," Kimber wrote in a social media post announcing his com- mitment to Penn State. Following his January arrival, Kimber made an immediate impression as an "older guy in the room, or someone to lean on for the younger guys," Penn State sophomore cornerback Elliot Washing- ton II said. Washington added that Kimber has impressed his new teammates through- out the offseason with his on-field per- formance. "We just got to see how he moves," Washington said. "Right now, in winter workouts, he's doing great. Everybody's doing great in the room. No one is letting off the gas. I would say we all are foot on the pedal. It's time to work now." Kimber has already turned in a 4.4-second 40-yard time at PSU, and in doing so, he has firmly established himself as a contender for the Nittany Lions' starting lineup this fall. — Matt Herb Speedy Jalen Kimber Aims To Win Starting Job Jordan Mayer Adds Depth To Lions' Defensive Front THE KIMBER FILE ✪ ✪ ✪ ✪ ✪ CB | R-Sr. 6-0 | 185 Florida Timberview High Mansfield, Texas THE MAYER FILE ✪ ✪ ✪ ✪ ✪ DE | R-Fr. 6-4 | 228 Wisconsin Thomas Jefferson High Jefferson Hills, Pa.