Veteran Penn State defensive lineman is no longer with the Nittany Lions
Veteran Penn State defensive end Smith Vilbert is leaving the Nittany Lions to enter the NCAA transfer portal. The New Jersey native said back in January that he would be returning for “one more ride” in State College during the 2025 season. However, On3’s Pete Nakos reported Tuesday that Vilbert is in the mechanism college football players can use to change schools. He has one season of eligibility remaining.
After playing in just two games over his first two seasons, he was seemingly ready to turn the corner after playing in 12 games in 2021 and capping the year with three sacks in the Outback Bowl against Arkansas, which tied the postseason game’s record and set a Penn State one for a bowl game performance. However, he would miss almost all of the 2022 season for undisclosed reasons before sitting out all of the 2023 slate due to an injury. Finally healthy, he stuck with the program throughout spring practice in 2024 and even earned praise from head coach James Franklin just before the Blue-White game.
“A guy that not a lot of people are talking about right now is Smith Vilbert,” Franklin said on The Penn State Coaches Show. “Smith is a guy that we think has the size and athleticism to play D-end and D-tackle this year and be a swing guy for us and we’re excited about him.”
Vilbert played 339 snaps during the 2024 season. He finished with 12 tackles (4.5 for loss), 1.5 sacks, and two forced fumbles.
Penn State transfer portal losses
The Nittany Lions saw nine players who were on the 2024 roster leave for the portal. Vilbert became the 10th on Tuesday. The last one of that group, former safety turned receiver Mehki Flowers, is now with Akron. Here’s where the full group ended up:
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S Tyrece Mills: UCONN
CB Cam Miller: Rutgers
TE Jerry Cross: Memphis
WR Trey Wallace: Ole Miss
WR Omari Evans: Washington
DT T.A. Cunningham: Garden City Community College
QB Beau Pribula: Missouri
WR Mehki Flowers: Akron
WR Tyler Johnson: East Carolina
Two specialists with eligibility left, kicker Sander Sahaydak and punter Mitchell Groh, are no longer with the program, as well.
Nittany Lion portal pickups
Penn State brought six newcomers in via the portal this offseason. Each now has his first jersey number in State College. The list, plus where each came from, is as follows:
No. 5: WR Devonte Ross (from Troy)
#11: WR Kyron Hudson (USC)
No. 16: S King Mack (Alabama)
No. 34: DT Owen Wafle (Michigan)
#45: DE Enai White (Texas A&M)
No. 54: T.J. Shanahan (Texas A&M)
