Penn State receiver Malik McClain enters NCAA transfer portal

A third Penn State receiver has entered the NCAA transfer portal during the spring window. Senior Malik McClain will again look for another college football home. McClain would have had to submit the paperwork to enter the mechanism players can use to move schools before the deadline for undergraduates at the end of Tuesday. But, schools have 48 hours to submit the paperwork to the NCAA, which is why the receiver’s name did not appear in the portal until Thursday. He will be eligible to play this fall at his next school.

McClain came to State College for the 2023 season after two years at Florida State. The Daphne, Ala., native played in all 13 games last year for the Nittany Lions but saw more special teams time than he did on offense. That’s true even though he arrived in time for spring practice with hopes of carving out a bigger role in then-offensive coordinator Mike Yurcich’s attack. Ultimately, though, he recorded 6 catches for 71 yards and a touchdown during his one season in blue and white while playing 242 snaps on offense, per Pro Football Focus. That was fourth among Nittany Lion receivers.

After the 2023 season, McClain received little buzz this past offseason during his second spring practice. He joins KeAndre Lambert-Smith, who is now at Auburn, and Malick Meiga, who does not yet have his next college home but has claimed offers from the likes of Delaware, Coastal Carolina, and Nevada so far since entering the portal, defensive tackle Davon Townley Jr., offensive line Golden Israel-Achumba, and safety King Mack.in leaving before preseason camp.

Penn State 2024 receiver room outlook

Penn State will start 2024 with Harrison “Trey” Wallace III as its leading man in the receivers room. The Lions added former Ohio State receiver Julian Fleming this offseason. And, they return  Omari Evans, Kaden Saunders, and Liam Clifford, among others. 

“I’ve had all the faith in the world in our wide receivers in terms of talent and ability,” Penn State coach James Franklin said after the Blue-White game. “We got to take the next step and I saw them take a step this spring. We’re going to be taking another step this summer. The positive thing is you can really improve defensively and offensively in the passing game over the summer. It’s hard to do that in the run game. I think we’re going to be very specific on the things we’re working on and how we’re training and developing. We have the talent in the room. The reality is we got to take this next step and we got to do it on a consistent basis. And we got to make plays against all the people on our schedule. 

“All those guys are in the locker room for a reason. We have belief in those guys. We believe they’re ready to take the next step. I think Trey (Harrison Wallace III) was a good example today. Him getting hurt last year was significant. So having a healthy Trey back has helped.”

Track 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 April 16 for undergraduate players, grad transfers can enter it at any time. This specific transfer portal window runs through April 30, 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. 

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