Penn State football recruiting enters transfer portal season
The regular season is finished, and now we wait and see which bowl game the Nittany Lions will be playing in. While we wait for that, we do know one thing. Joey Porter Jr. will be opting out of the bowl game and declaring for the 2023 NFL draft.
While that is a big loss for Penn State’s bowl game, they still have a talented freshman corner in Kalen King.
Speaking of the underclassmen at Penn State and the future of this team, what will the future of the team look like in the Drew Allar era in State College? We have gone deeper into the 2024 class of players, and with some players in key positions. It is also time to dive into the transfer portal.
One notable Penn State quarterback, Christian Veilleux, recently entered the portal, but let us take a closer look at some key recruiting targets Penn State should keep an eye on heading into the early signing period.
Michael Smith - 2024 4-star TE
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The first player is a tight end out of Georgia in Michael Smith. It is still fairly early in his recruiting process, but Smith as garnered solid interest from Penn State, on top of other key schools like Ohio State and Alabama. Headlining the tight end class for the Nittany Lions is Milwaukee native Jerry Cross. In 2023, they will have [autotag]Joey Schlaffer[/autotag] coming in. The development of tight ends for the NFL level does not go unnoticed at Penn State, with current starters including [autotag]Pat Freiermuth[/autotag] on the Steelers and [autotag]Mike Gesicki[/autotag] of the Dolphins. This season, it was the talented duo of [autotag]Brenton Strange[/autotag] and [autotag]Theo Johnson[/autotag]. If Penn State can land Smith, that would be a nice addition to a talented tight-end room full of youth at State College.
Donte Thornton Jr. - Oregon transfer WR
Syndication: The Register Guard
Donte Thornton Jr. recently entered the transfer portal, and with the Nittany Lions added Western Kentucky’s [autotag]Mitchell Tinsley[/autotag] this season. And with [autotag]Parker Washington[/autotag] potentially heading to the draft, it will be interesting to see if [autotag]James Franklin[/autotag] utilizes the transfer portal once again for a wide receiver.
Respect my decision! 🖤 #FreeMacc @Hayesfawcett3 @GradeFatz @CoachLester18 pic.twitter.com/bTuWMQNzsA
— Macc11🥷🏿 (@IamDTJ11) November 29, 2022
In his two seasons at Oregon, Thornton Jr. recorded 541 receiving yards and three touchdowns. His transfer news does come after Oregon’s offensive coordinator Kenny Dillingham accepted the Arizona State head coaching job. ASU is also a team to watch but Thornton Jr. would be a nice veteran addition to a young Nittany Lions offense.
AJ Cornelius - Rhode Island transfer OL
Rich Barnes-USA TODAY Sports
Penn State utilized should be looking to add more offensive line depth this offseason to start the Drew Allar era. They brought in Cornell transfer offensive tackle [autotag]Hunter Nourzad[/autotag], who will be back at Penn State in 2023. AJ Cornelius received 16 offers after his first day in the transfer portal, and Penn State is one of them. He would be a nice veteran addition to the Nittany Lions front five.
