Penn State lands cornerback Jalen Kimber from the NCAA transfer portal

Penn State has added another player from the NCAA transfer portal. The Lions earned a commitment from former Florida and Georgia cornerback Jalen Kimber. And, he is ready to start classes in State College. Kimber entered the portal after the 2023 season and initially committed to Louisville. But, he never actually visited the school’s campus. He did make it to State College for a visit, however. And, it was then when cornerbacks coach Terry Smith and the rest of the Penn State staff were able to seal the deal.

Kimber is from Mansfield, Tex., and stands 6-foot, 185 pounds. A redshirt-senior-to-be, he played in three games for the Bulldogs in 2020 but missed mostly all of the 2021 season due to a shoulder injury that required surgery. He moved to Gainesville to play for the Gators ahead of the 2022 season. He played in 26 games over two seasons, finishing with 39 tackles, one interception, and six passes defended, which was powered by a team-high five in 2023. His 2022 season was impacted by an upper-body injury he played through.

More: Recalibrating the Penn State football roster for spring: Offense

Pro Football Focus shows Kimber as Florida’s third cornerback in 2023 with 488 snaps. Kimber had the team’s fourth-best coverage grade this past fall on defense per PFF. Missed tackles are an area for improvement, as he had six over the last two seasons. But, other than that, he provides depth at a positon that Penn State needs it at. Kimber is likely to enroll for the spring semester and start classes next week. That, of course, will allow him to participate in spring practice.

With Kalen King, Daequan Hardy and Johnny Dixon all headed to the NFL, the addition of Harris provides a major boost for Penn State cornerback coach Terry Smith. Cam Miller, who will be entering his junior season next fall, is currently the only returning upperclassman at the position. Freshmen Zion Tracy and Elliot Washington performed well during their first year on campus, but adding more was a priority to Smith and the defensive staff. It did it with Kimber and Georgia cornerback A.J. Harris.

Kimber is the sixth player to pick Penn State out of the transfer portal since the 2023 regular season ended. He is joined by former Ohio State receiver Julian Fleming, Wisconsin lineman Nolan Rucci, Badgers defensive end Jordan Mayer, Harris, and former Tulsa kicker Chase Meyer.

Track Penn State transfer portal activity

The NCAA transfer portal database is private. But Blue-White Illustrated and the On3 Network have you covered from start to finish when it comes to tracking Penn State player movement.

Our well-established network of reporters and contacts across college athletics keeps you up to speed in several ways. We have articles written about players as they enter and exit the transfer portal or find their new destination, a dedicated transfer portal Twitter account, and the On3 Transfer Portal wire.

The transfer portal wire provides a real-time feed of player activity, including basic player profile information, transfer portal ranking, and original On3 Consensus recruiting ranking, as well as NIL valuation (name, image, and likeness).

While the transfer portal officially opens for business on Dec. 4 for undergraduate players, grad transfers can enter it at any time. This specific transfer portal window runs through Jan. 2, 2024. It is important to note that a player does not need to make his decision by the deadline. Undergrads do, however, have to declare their intent to enter the portal by then. When they pick their next school or decide to return to their current one after that is up to them. A second transfer portal window will run April 15-30.

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