Penn State Sports Magazine
Issue link: https://comanpub.uberflip.com/i/1532761
M A R C H 2 0 2 5 5 5 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 / / / / / / / On its current roster, Penn State has five returning offensive linemen who each started at least six games last year. The Nittany Lions' offensive front is expected to be one of their primary strengths in 2025, but you can never have too many high-level performers on that unit, and PSU added another one when it landed TJ Shanahan Jr. out of the transfer portal in January. Shanahan comes to Penn State from Texas A&M, where he played both guard and center for the past two seasons. The 6-foot-4, 329-pound prospect saw ac- tion in 10 games for the Aggies as a red- shirt freshman, including five starts. An injury kept him out of the team's last two contests. After entering the portal in Decem- ber, Shanahan was listed as a three-star prospect in the On3 Industry Rank- ing. He was rated as the No. 338 overall prospect and No. 34 interior offensive lineman available in the winter transfer window. Coming out of Austin (Texas) West- lake in 2022, Shanahan was a consensus four-star prospect. He was listed No. 170 overall and No. 11 among interior offen- sive linemen nationally in the Industry Ranking. On3 recruiting analyst Cody Bellaire described him as "the definition of a road grader at the next level" as well as "a run blocking machine who blows defenders off the ball with ease." Shanahan comes from a family of foot- ball players. His father, Tim, played at Arizona, while older brothers Leka and Michael played for Utah and the Univer- sity of Tennessee at Martin, respectively. In addition, cousin Jon Halapio played college football at Florida and went on to start games at center and guard for the New York Giants. When the Nittany Lions signed Sha- nahan in January, they didn't know whether Nick Dawkins was going to re- turn for his graduate season after start- ing all 16 games at center last season. In January, Dawkins confirmed that he would indeed be coming back. His deci- sion solidifies the center spot for Penn State, but more depth is always welcome, and the Lions do have a vacancy at right guard with Sal Wormley moving on. It's likely that Shanahan will compete with sophomore Cooper Cousins and super senior JB Nelson for that open- ing. Even if he doesn't emerge victorious in the battle for Penn State's only open position, Shanahan has three seasons re- maining and would have a chance to vie for a starting job in 2026 when Dawkins will be out of eligibility and left guard Olaivavega Ioane will likely head to the NFL. — Greg Pickel Penn State added a second wide receiver to its 2025 transfer class when senior Devonte Ross opted to continue his career with the Nittany Lions. The 5-foot-10, 171-pound Ross joined former USC wide- out Kyron Hudson in the Lions' transfer class after putting together a gaudy statis- tical resume during his time at Troy. Ross caught 76 passes for 1,043 yards and 11 touchdowns in 2024 while play- ing for former Penn State wide receivers coach Gerad Parker, who is now the Tro- jans' head coach. He also returned a punt for a touchdown. PSU will likely be the final chapter in what has turned out to be an extensive collegiate travelogue. Coming out of Cart- ersville (Ga.) High as a three-star prospect in the class of 2021, Ross initially commit- ted to Marshall but then backed away from that pledge and was set to go to Kentucky. However, he never arrived in Lexington, ending up instead at Troy in 2022. Over three years, he hauled in 129 passes for 1,618 yards and 14 touchdowns. At Penn State, he will have two years to play one season. He has a redshirt year available but is unlikely to use it. Ross was listed as a three-star trans- fer in the On3 Industry Ranking. He was the No. 166 prospect nationally and No. 35 wide receiver in the portal during the winter transfer window. Speed is the name of Ross' game. BWI football analyst Thomas Frank Carr of- fered an early scouting report when the veteran wideout first entered the transfer portal. "His best attributes are running deep routes and generating explosive plays," Carr noted. "He gained 400 yards and 5 touchdowns on passes of 20 or more yards this past year and had four games in which he surpassed 100 yards. "His best statistical performance of the season came against Florida A&M, when he caught 11 passes for 234 yards. "At his best, Ross is the type of player who can run behind any coverage. He lined up primarily outside for Troy and has experience running routes from the slot." Ideally, Carr wrote, Ross would con- tribute to Penn State's offensive attack by providing the kind of deep speed that "would be difficult to defend and would likely create open space underneath." — Greg Pickel Devonte Ross Brings Game-Breaking Speed To Receivers Room TJ Shanahan Jr. Strengthens Penn State's Offensive Front THE ROSS FILE ✪ ✪ ✪ ✪ ✪ WR | Sr. 5-10 | 171 Troy Cartersville Cartersville, Ga. THE SHANAHAN FILE ✪ ✪ ✪ ✪ ✪ IOL | R-So. 6-4 | 329 Texas A&M Westlake (Austin, Texas) Orlando, Fla.