What is the Penn State football plan for the spring transfer portal window?
Penn State is one of the many schools that will conclude spring practice after the final transfer portal window of 2025 both opens and closes. The 10-day chance for players to move on in the spring starts April 16 and lasts until April 25. The Blue-White game is set for 2 p.m. ET on April 26. Back during its College Football Playoff run, the Lions had a clear plan for dealing with the realities of roster management while also doing their best to focus on the task at hand. Those conversations were held during the team’s off days from practice. The stakes are not as high now as they were then, of course. But, it’s also true that it’s an important time of year to get ready for the next season, and so distractions must be mitigated.
With all of that in mind, what is the Penn State plan for navigating the next week and a half.
“That was different, because we were in negotiations with guys and things like that,” Franklin said. “This is more just, ‘hey, no surprises. Let’s communicate with each other.’ So it’s more that.”
He was later asked if the timing of typical post-spring evaluation meetings between players and coaches had to change because of the window.
Notes: Penn State pushes ahead, making shifts in spring practice
“Again, it’s really kind of a no surprises discussion,” Franklin said. “And what I mean by that, if the players have any issues or concerns, we want them to come in and talk to us. We’ve talked already to the team about how we’re handling the 105 [roster cap that will apply for preseason camp if the House vs. NCAA settlement is approved]. That was addressed before the first window. That was addressed before this window. So everybody is on the same page.
“The other thing, as you guys know, is that I meet with the players a lot, and there needs to be a communication, two-way street. So right now, we’re not having meetings, obviously, during spring ball, but there needs to be communication.”
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Tuesday marked the Lions’ 10th day of drills since kicking them off back on March 29. The team will practice this Friday, and next Monday, Wednesday, and Friday before the annual spring finale at Beaver Stadium on Saturday.
Who have the Lions lost so far this off-season?
Offensive lineman JB Nelson is the first Penn State player to signal his plan for the spring window. He left the roster last week. Then, news broke that he was hitting the portal on Monday. He’s not the first Nittany Lion to leave since the 2024 season ended. A handful of Lions left in the winter window. Here’s the list and also where each player ended up:
TE Jerry Cross: Memphis.
QB Beau Pribula: Missouri.
S Tyrece Mills: UCONN
CB Cam Miller: Rutgers
WR Trey Wallace: Ole Miss
WR Omari Evans: Washington
DT T.A. Cunningham: JUCO
WR Mehki Flowers: Akron
WR Tyler Johnson: East Carolina
How does the Lions roster currently break down by position?
After Nelson’s departure, Penn State is at 119 players as of April 15 before 11 more members of the Class of 2025 arrive later this year. If the House vs. NCAA case is settled with no changes, the team will need to be down to 105 players by the time preseason camp starts. It’s why more departures than pickups are expected in this window. It’s also why there will be more Lions moving on, in all likelihood, in this spring portal window compared to all of the ones before it combined.
Here are the position-by-position numbers:
| CB | 8 |
| DE | 12 |
| DT | 11 |
| K | 3 |
| LB | 12 |
| LS | 3 |
| OL | 23 |
| P | 2 |
| QB | 5 |
| RB | 8 |
| S | 10 |
| TE | 7 |
| WR | 15 |
