Penn State defender no longer with Nittany Lions
One of Penn State’s defensive linemen is no longer part of the roster with just under two weeks to go until the start of spring practice.
On Thursday evening, Blue White Illustrated confirmed that defensive tackle Jordan van den Berg is no longer part of the Nittany Lions’ 2024 roster. Details surrounding his departure are unclear, but we expect him to enter the transfer portal at a later date. The spring transfer portal window opens on April 15 and will last until April 30.
A former junior college prospect, van den Berg earned first-team All-America honors during his only season at Iowa Western. He was a late addition to Penn State’s Class of 2021, committing in June of that year and enrolling just days later.
Listed at 6-foot-3, 310 pounds, van den Berg redshirted that first season but did play in four games. He totaled 40 snaps against Arkansas in the Outback Bowl, finishing the game with five tackles. That ended up being his best game statistically during his three seasons in Happy Valley.
In 2022, the South African totaled 170 snaps and played in all 13 games for Penn State. He finished with nine tackles, 1.5 sacks and a forced fumble. He followed that up this past season totaling 154 snaps in 11 games. van den Berg finished with 11 tackles and a fumble recovery.
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Last spring and summer, van den Berg was regularly praised by head coach James Franklin as a player who impressed.
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“It’s an honor that the work is being noticed, and it’s just because the room that I’m in is highly competitive,” van den Berg said. “So I’m competing every day in the weight room, on the field, off the field. So just to be in that type of environment really just pushes me as a person and as a player.”
Back in January, multiple defensive tackles with experience announced that they’ll return for one final season. That includes Dvon Ellies, Coziah Izzard and Hakeem Beamon, all three of whom played substantially more than van den Berg in 2023. Penn State also brings back junior Zane Durant.
On top of that, the Nittany Lions also signed four defensive tackles in their Class of 2024, all of whom enrolled in January. That group includes two four-star prospects, Liam Andrews and De’Andre Cook, as well as three-star prospects Xavier Gilliam and T.A. Cunningham.
Penn State had just four scholarship players enter the transfer portal following the 2023 season. Specialist Alex Bacchetta ended up at Rice, while wide receiver Cristian Driver will suit up for Minnesota this fall. Another wide receiver, Dante Cephas, transferred to Kansas State. Offensive lineman Ibrahim Traore also entered the portal.
