Penn State lands top transfer portal target Mitchell Tinsley
Penn State landed one of its most coveted prospects in the transfer portal Friday in wide receiver Mitchell Tinsley.
Formerly a junior college prospect at Hutchinson Community College, Tinsley has one year remaining of eligibility. He spent two at Hutchinson before moving on to Western Kentucky in 2020.
Tinsley had immediate success for the Hilltoppers, totaling 43 receptions for 377 yards and four touchdowns last season, but that was nothing compared to what he did in 2021. In addition to doubling his receptions with 87, Tinsley totaled 1,402 yards receiving and 14 touchdowns. He averaged an eye-catching 16.1 yards per catch playing with quarterback Bailey Zappe.
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Zappe was in the news this past week for setting an NCAA record 62 touchdown passes this season, beating Joe Burrow’s record from two years ago. That record-setting catch was caught by Tinsley, who played in Western Kentucky’s 59-38 win over Appalachian State in the Boca Raton Bowl last Saturday. Tinsley finished that game with seven receptions, 103 yards receiving and two touchdowns.
According to Pro Football Focus, Tinsley earned an overall offensive grade of 79.0 this season. He earned an 86.5 against Rice in Week 11, his best of the season. He totaled 10 receptions for 198 yards and two touchdowns in that game. Six of Tinsley’s final seven games at Western Kentucky earned a grade in the 70s or 80s.
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The addition of Tinsley is a major boast to Penn State’s wide receiver corps for 2022. With Jahan Dotson almost certainly headed to the NFL, Penn State needed proven playmakers for next season. Parker Washington (57 receptions, 722 yards) and KeAndre Lambert-Smith (31 receptions, 447 yards) both have proven that they can make plays at this level, but aside from them, the wide receiver room is largely unproven.
With Tinsley now on board, the Nittany Lions will likely shift their focus to other positions in the transfer portal.
“I think we have a need on the offensive line,” James Franklin said during his Dec. 15 press conference. He went on to add, “If you talk about the defensive side of the ball, a defensive end, possibly a defensive tackle based on some things that could happen on our roster. And then obviously we’re losing some big time linebackers. So linebacker, D-line on the defensive side of the ball.”
Two offensive linemen to keep an eye on include Hunter Nourzad from Cornell and Ryan Swoboda from Virginia. Nourzad is a popular target among Power Five programs, with 15 schools extending scholarship offers, including seven Big Ten programs.
