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Penn State

Penn State EDGE Smith Vilbert enters NCAA transfer portal

IMG_0985by:Griffin McVeigh•about 22 hours•

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Scott Taetsch | Contributor PhotoG | Getty

According to On3’s Pete Nakos, Penn State EDGE Smith Vilbert has entered the NCAA transfer portal. Vilbert has been with the Nittany Lions for quite some time, originally signing with the 2019 recruiting class under James Franklin. After six seasons, Vilbert will look for somewhere else to complete his college football career.

Between a redshirt season, COVID-19, and missing the 2023 season due to an injury, there is still eligibility remaining for Vilbert. He played in 35 games throughout his time with Penn State, recording 20 tackles, 4.5 sacks, and eight tackles for a loss.

Two forced fumbles did come this past year too — one in the season opener against West Virginia and then again in the Big Ten Championship vs. Oregon.

“A guy that not a lot of people are talking about right now is Smith Vilbert,” Franklin said of Vilbert ahead of the 2024 spring game. “Smith is a guy that we think has the size and athleticism to play D-end and D-tackle this year and be a swing guy for us and we’re excited about him.”

Vilbert played high school football at Montvale (NJ) St. Joseph Regional, where he was a three-star prospect. He was the No. 667 overall recruit in the 2019 cycle, according to the On3 Industry Ranking, a weighted average that utilizes all four major recruiting media companies.

Penn State DB Mehki Flowers signs with Akron

Former Penn State defensive back Mehki Flowers has signed with Akron out of the NCAA transfer portal, per On3’s Pete Nakos.

Flowers had spent the past three seasons with the Nittany Lions. He appeared in 14 games during his time in Happy Valley, logging a pair of assisted tackles for their defense. Flowers made a position change to receiver for the 2024 season but did not record any stats.

A native of Harrisburg, which is just an hour and a half outside of University Park, played his high school football at Central Dauphin East where was the No. 187 overall prospect in the 2022 cycle.

As a four-star recruit, he was rated as the No. 5 ATH in the class and the No. 5 player out of the state of Pennsylvania, according to the On3 Industry Ranking, which is a weighted average that utilizes all four major recruiting media companies. Flowers was the seventh highest-rated prospect from a top-ten class in 2022.

On3’s Barkley Truax contributed to this report