Penn State picks up Transfer Portal commitment from former Michigan DT Owen Wafle
Penn State lost freshman defensive tackle T.A. Cunningham to the Transfer Portal in December, and the Nittany Lions have grabbed his replacement in the Class of 2024. Former Michigan defensive tackle Owen Wafle announced his commitment to James Franklin and the Nittany Lions on Saturday evening.
The 6-foot-2, 298-pound Wafle visited Penn State last weekend before the Nittany Lions left for the Orange Bowl in Miami. He also visited Oklahoma, Rutgers, Wisconsin and made a trip to North Carolina after new Tar Heels head coach Bill Belichick visited his former high school earlier this week.
Wafle officially entered the portal last Thursday, just two days after Michigan finished its season with a win over Alabama in the Reliaquest Bowl. He didn’t play at all during his freshman season in Ann Arbor, giving him four more years of eligibility.
New Penn State pledge “at his best as a run defender”
A Class of 2024 prospect from the Hun School in Princeton, N.J., Penn State didn’t extend an offer Wafle out of high school but did host him for a visit in April 2022. He then committed to Notre Dame about a month after that visit but ultimately switched to Michigan after an official visit to Ann Arbor in June 2023. Boston College, Duke, Iowa, Oklahoma, Michigan State, Minnesota, Rutgers and West Virginia were among the schools to offer out of high school.
“Owen Wafle is a bulldog, a guy who can take on blocks and be physical at the point of attack,” On3 Rankings Director Charles Power said during his recruitment. “He’s at his best as a run defender and plays at a high effort level. He probably projects best inside, but we’ll see where he gets from a weight perspective. But he understands leverage and plays with a high level physicality.”
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Owen is also the older brother of one of Penn State’s top defensive end targets in the Class of 2026, Luke Wafle. The 6-foot-4, 225-pound edge rusher is currently ranked No. 198 nationally and No. 2 overall in New Jersey for his class.
Nittany Lions now have five Portal commits
Penn State’s spring semester begins on Monday, so any roster movement in this window will need to happen in the next week. Wafle’s commitment gives the Nittany Lions five pledges in the winter cycle. Wide receivers Kyron Hudson (USC) and Devonte Ross (Troy), as well as defensive end Enai White (Texas A&M) have all signed. Wafle and former Texas A&M offensive lineman T.J. Shanahan, who committed on Friday, are unsigned but are both expected to join the program in the coming days.
The Nittany Lions hosted a prospect in the Transfer Portal on Saturday and more movement is expected in the coming days. You can track all Penn State Transfer Portal movement with Blue-White Illustrated.
