BWI Live: Grading the Penn State winter transfer portal window
The Penn State Nittany Lions haven’t closed the books on the transfer portal for 2024, but the first chapter is done. Today, we’re reviewing the staff’s work through the winter portal period and giving out grades for their effort. Join the BWI Live Show at 10 a.m. to discuss the team’s portal work based on this article from earlier this week.
You can also watch the replay on the BWI Live YouTube Channel, or here on the site.
Penn State Winter Portal Class
As we saw last year with Penn State’s winter portal additions last year, it doesn’t guarantee that a player will be a successful addition, but it does give them the chance to be one. Having players on campus for spring football allows the team to integrate pieces into the offense and defense more seamlessly for the upcoming year. It also allows the staff to understand the competition in each room better. That’s a significant reason why we’re singling out this portal window.
The biggest needs on the team are on the offensive side, with tackle and receiver lacking veteran presence at these two key positions. They landed that in Ohio State wideout Julian Fleming.
The red letter, exclamation point, need for the Penn State football team has been evident since about the midway point of the 2023 season. The team needs an infusion of veteran dependability outside. While a dominant lead dog would be great, you don’t expect that out of the portal unless you’re willing to play with the big dogs in college football.
Since writing this, veteran receiver KeAndre Lambert-Smith has made it clear he intends to be part of the team for the 2024 season. We’ll assess how the team’s retention and acquisition could play out this year.
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Offensive tackle departures create massive hole on roster
The team lost significant experience and skill with Olu Fashanu and Caedan Wallace departing for the NFL. The team has been grooming Drew Shelton for this moment, but the rest of the roster is still very young. Enter redshirt sophomore tackle Nolan Rucci from Wisconsin. Can he fill the void?
Defensive line additions through retention
Like the receiver, the team held on to its veteran depth with Hakeem Beamon, Coziah Izzard, and Dvon Ellies all returning for the 2024 season. We’ll address the impact of that move on the team’s ability to maintain a defensive personality trait.
Penn State needs cornerback bodies
Not only did the team need to add veteran experience to the room, they needed to add bodies. Just six players were listed as cornerbacks on the initial 2024 spring roster before the addition of A.J. Harris and Jalen Kimber. We’ll discuss what each player brings to the team for this upcoming season.
