Penn State will be heading to the Rose Bowl to take on Utah to start off the new year. After that, it’s the offseason, and when it comes to the transfer portal, James Franklin is no stranger to that.

The past two offseasons, the Nittany Lions have utilized the transfer portal and have found great benefits from it. Last season, they brought in Temple transfer defensive end Arnold Ebiketie, who went on to be a second-round draft pick to Atlanta Falcons in the 2022 draft.

This season, they brought in Maryland defensive lineman Chop Robinson, Western Kentucky wide receiver Mitchell Tinsley and Cornell offensive lineman Hunter Nourzad.

As of right now, there is a player that has Penn State in the mix for his latest list of top schools.

We’re staying on the offensive side of the ball for another pass-catcher. South Florida wide receiver Jimmy Horn Jr. is down to four schools: Colorado, Penn State, Houston, and Texas A&M.

According to his social media posting, it appears Horn Jr. anticipates announcing his transfer decision on Christmas. It is worth a reminder the early signing period opens up on Dec. 21. And with Colorado making a major splash hire with Deion Sanders recently, the Buffs could suddenly be an attractive candidate for almost any transfer right now.

As mentioned, the Nittany Lions brought in Tinsley, who really started to find his groove in the offense throughout the second half of the season. He finished the regular season with 528 receiving yards and four touchdowns.

Horn Jr. finished this season with 551 receiving yards and three touchdowns. South Florida also hired their new head coach over the weekend in Tennessee offensive coordinator Alex Golesh.

With Parker Washington and Tinsley potentially leaving for the draft, that leaves a receiver room full of youth. The next guy in line would be KeAndre Lambert-Smith. But, if Penn State can add another veteran player to pair with him, that would be a big help for Drew Allar in his first year starting at the collegiate level for the Nittany Lions.

There are already a few pass-catchers in the transfer portal, some of which could help the Nittany Lions quite a bit. Oregon wide receiver Donte Thornton Jr. is one of them, and USF receiver Jimmy Horn Jr. is another.

With players entering the transfer portal left and right, it will be interesting to see if Penn State brings in another pass-catcher. With the Nittany Lions in his top five, Horn Jr. is a key guy to watch for Penn State transfer portal players this offseason.

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