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Former Penn State defender Ken Talley announces transfer destination

Greg Pickelby:Greg Pickel09/07/22

GregPickel

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Now former Penn State defensive end Ken Talley officially joined the Nittany Lions on Aug 1, before entering the transfer portal on the 15th. (Photo: Greg Pickel/BWI)

Former Penn State defensive end Ken Talley spent less than a month as a member of the Nittany Lions before entering the transfer portal. However, the Philadelphia native and former On3 Consensus four-star Class of 2022 recruit needed fewer than 30 days to pick his next college destination.

Talley is moving on to Michigan State. He announced the news on social media Wednesday while thanking Spartans’ head coach Mel Tucker for the opportunity.

“The Next Chapter Of My Life Is Here My New Home Let’s Get Paid Thank You @Coach_mtucker,” Talley wrote on Twitter.

Talley will not be able to play for the Spartans this fall, as he left Penn State too late to do so. But, it’s possible that he could practice with the Big Ten East team at some point before 2023.

Penn State, Talley, mum about his quick departure

Talley was the last member of the Penn State Class of 2022 to make it to campus. He started on Aug. 1, when preseason camp began. But, he entered the transfer portal on Aug. 15.

“First off I want to say thank you to Coach Franklin and the whole Penn State staff for giving me the opportunity to be a Nittany Lion I loved every second of it especially the love of the fans with that being said I am now in the Transfer Portal #respectmydecision,” Talley wrote on Twitter Aug. 16.

One day later, Penn State coach James Franklin also offered a brief, and vague, comment on the situation.

“I don’t think it’d be appropriate for me to talk about any of these guys in the specifics on why they’re leaving,” Franklin said.

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“That’s their personal business. We want them to be able to leave and go on and be successful. It didn’t work out for a variety of reasons.”

Updating other Lions transfers

Talley is the second former Penn State player to move onto a different Big Ten school this year. Back in May, defensive tackle Cole Brevard moved on to Purdue. He played 19 snaps in the Boilermakers’ 35-31 loss to the Nittany Lions at Ross-Ade Stadium.

Meanwhile, former Penn State running back Noah Cain, who is now at LSU, carried seven times for 23 yards and a touchdown in his first game with the Tigers. However, the SEC program lost to Florida State, 24-23.

Finally, the other Lion who left in August, running back Caziah Holmes, has previously announced that he’ll play next at Florida State. Like Talley, he cannot play this fall.

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