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Former Penn State commit enters NCAA transfer portal; Lions long snapper up for a national award: Newsstand

Greg Pickelby:Greg Pickel•11/29/22•

GregPickel

EUGENE, OR - NOVEMBER 27: Oregon Ducks WR Dont'e Thornton (10) makes a catch over the middle during a PAC-12 conference football game between the Oregon State Beavers and Oregon Ducks on November 27, 2021 at Autzen Stadium in Eugene, Oregon. (Photo by Bri
EUGENE, OR - NOVEMBER 27: Oregon Ducks WR Dont'e Thornton (10) makes a catch over the middle during a PAC-12 conference football game between the Oregon State Beavers and Oregon Ducks on November 27, 2021 at Autzen Stadium in Eugene, Oregon. (Photo by Brian Murphy/Icon Sportswire via Getty Images)

Penn State news, notes, and updates for Nov. 29 include insight on a new transfer portal entry from the PAC-12, a Nittany Lion who is up for a national award, and much more.

It’s time to dive into Tuesday’s top tweets and headlines about the Nittany Lions and college athletics.

Penn State tweets of the day

We start with a Nittany Lion who is up for a national award. Penn State senior Chris Stoll is up for the Patrick Mannelly Award. It is given annually to the nation’s top senior college long snapper. It is named after longtime Chicago Bears long snapper Patrick Mannelly and has been awarded annually since 2019. A Big Ten player has yet to win it. The other finalists this year are Matt Hembrough from Oklahoma State and Alex Ward from UCF. The winner will be announced Dec. 10.

In other news, a former Penn State verbal commitment has entered the NCAA transfer portal. Class of 2021 signee and former four-star receiver Dont’e Thornton announced Monday that he will be leaving the Ducks program. A Baltimore, Md., native, he was committed to the Lions for eight months before picking the PAC-12 program. While there, he caught 26 passes for 541 yards and three touchdowns.

It’s unclear if the Lions will pursue Thornton. But, he will be eligible to play at his next school right away.

Finally, for this section, Penn State extended a new Class of 2023 offer on Monday night. The Lions joined the mix for Key West, Fla., three-star Christopher Otto. Florida State was previously the biggest school showing the 6-foot-5, 285-pound tackle interest. It’s unclear if the Lions will immediately become a visit contender or not.

Headlines of the day

Olu Fashanu returning for 2023 season, passing on NFL draft: McGonigal, PennLive

Penn State gets first ‘win’ of 2023 with Olu Fashanu return: Bauer, BWI

Lions Bowl Projections Ahead of Tuesday Night’s CFP Rankings Update: Jones, Statecollege.com

PSU standouts in Week 12 of NFL season: Carr, BWI

Penn State football long snapper Chris Stoll a finalist for top snapping award: Engle, Daily Collegian

Which recruits were in attendance for Penn State’s win over Michigan State?: Snyder, BWI

2022 bowl projections: Penn State among biggest beneficiaries of rivalry week chaos: Bittner, PPG

Big Ten Power Rankings: Michigan makes its move, Purdue pushes into title game: On3

Quote of the day

“They’ve been knocking on the door for me to come visit for a few weeks now. Coach Terry [Smith], he’s one of my favorite coaches in their system. He asked me to come up for the game and that’s what we did.”

–Class of 2023 receiver and WVU commit Rodney Gallagher on his PSU unofficial visit last weekend.

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