Penn State's transfer portal approach proves worth: Column

The Penn State football program remained relatively quiet as the winds of the transfer portal swirled through the first weeks of December. Punter Riley Thompson committed to transfer from Florida Atlantic, on Dec. 17, but no fireworks had yet gone off.

Wednesday, the Storm Duck changed that for the Nittany Lions

Announcing via Twitter, the North Carolina second-team All-ACC cornerback committed to play for Penn State. Considered one of the top prospects in the transfer portal at his position, the 6-foot-1, 205-pounder instant injects more experienced talent into an already-strong room for the Nittany Lions.

But, Duck’s impending entry into the program goes beyond on-field impact. Bringing a mature, appreciative perspective with him, the first splash transfer of the offseason aligns with the fit Penn State has prioritized in its portal ventures.

“I feel like uniquely for us, the guys that we’re bringing in are a match made in heaven,” said defensive end Adisa Isaac Friday as Penn State continues its preparations for the Rose Bowl. “For the past transfers we had… it’s like they’ve been here already. I don’t understand how we’re getting these guys that are just so perfectly fit to our system. But, it happens.”

Under head coach James Franklin’s direction, that trend isn’t a coincidence.

Purposefully selective in roster management, Penn State has been consistent in its quality-over-quantity approach to the transfer portal. Recognizing that the individual players being welcomed into the locker room can upend or enhance the dynamics the program is determined to foster throughout its roster, the urge to fill holes hasn’t been so strong to supersede that inherently delicate balance.

Instead, bringing in players who check multiple boxes, fulfilling on-field needs while fitting into Penn State’s cultural identity, has been paramount.

“The first thing is always morale,” defensive coordinator Manny Diaz said. “This is not fantasy football. When you drop a guy in fantasy football, the other guys in your fantasy football team don’t care that you got the new guy. These are real, live people. 

“What I’ve always said is, when you bring a guy into the room, every guy in that room needs to be happy and know why that guy is there. Because most players want to win. We’re going to play the best players. I think we’ve established that this year.”

In Chop Robinson, Diaz continued, Penn State has demonstrated as much. An edge rusher who played in 11 regular season games in his Nittany Lion debut, the Maryland transfer made an undeniable and immediate impact with the Nittany Lions.

His 414 total reps were 10th on the defense. And, according to PFF’s grading, his mark of 89.7 was the best of any player on the team. Stuffing the stat sheet with his opportunity, Robinson’s 4.0 sacks were second and his 8.5 tackles for a loss third. 

“You see what happened with a guy like Chop and the impact he had on our defense. But the players had to understand why we needed Chop,” Diaz said. “It wasn’t just because it’s a luxury. No. Everyone saw for us to be great, we needed more help on the edge. And I think if you always go through that, you have the ability to fix your needs.” 

Bettering Penn State’s defense while concurrently embraced by his new teammates, the example is not unique for the Nittany Lions.

On both sides of the ball this season, some of Penn State’s most productive performers were transfer portal additions. Mitchell Tinsley finished second in receptions and yards, Hunter Nourzad was a fixture on the offensive line, and Johnny Dixon proved invaluable in a cornerback triumvirate among the best in the nation. Barney Amor, meanwhile, waited his turn and became one of the Big Ten’s best punters this year. 

From the players’ perspective, Penn State’s foundational tenets are the other piece of the equation. While the coaching staff works to identify players in the portal who fit the program’s needs and culture, the existing rooms have sought to uphold the competitive mantra that brought them to the Nittany Lions in the first place.

“I feel like every transfer that comes on our team, once they get in the fold of how we practice, and how we are in the locker room, they have no choice; it’s a family here,” said cornerback Kalen King. “It’s never really tension. It might be there initially, just off everybody coming in, they’re trying to compete and they want to play. But, eventually, we just mold together like a true team.”

Aiming to do the same again this cycle, Penn State continues to pursue receivers. It’s also searching for a defensive tackle and potentially an offensive lineman through the portal. Throughout, the formula remains in place for the program moving forward.

Asking what Penn State’s needs are, ones that can be fixed in the short term that might not be reasonable to expect out of a high school player debuting with the Nittany Lions as a true freshman, the second piece of the puzzle serves as a blueprint to what’s next. 

“The players have to know. Because, if you have an issue morale-wise, you’ll have an issue. And I think we will say that more going forward where it just doesn’t happen every year,” Diaz said. “And by the way, we’ve seen that. That’s called pro sports. That happens in the pros. You sign a free agent, and for whatever reason, it doesn’t come off. And so I think that’ll be a part of our game, too.”

In a program working diligently to refine and uphold its transfer portal approach in a quickly evolving college football landscape, Penn State is determined to make it so.