Penn State Transfer Portal Tracker: Updates, analysis, departures, commitments and more (2024)

Over the past month, the NCAA Transfer Portal has once again facilitated upheaval across the college football landscape with all sorts of players, from superstars to rising stars to productive small-schoolers wanting a shot at the higher levels, on the move. For Penn State, the transfer portal has provided an opportunity to fill some holes on and add some talent to a 10-win roster.

Coach James Franklin and Penn State have once again moved deliberately. As of Jan. 20, six Penn State players, only one of whom started a game in 2023, have entered the transfer portal. In the same span,Penn State signed six players, including three former five-star recruits and a top-10transfer, out of the portal.

“It's best players available,” Franklin said last month. “We're trying to create the most competitive roster that we possibly can. Our players understand that. We told them that when we recruited them, whether it's high school players or whether it's transfer portal guys, we just want to create as much competition as we possibly can in the locker room and go from there. But that's really what we're looking for is best players available, and obviously, guys that are the best fits for our locker room and our campus and community.”

The window for players to enter the transfer portal opened Dec. 4, and then players had 30 days to enter their names into the database, give or take a couple days because of bowl games. From there, coaches will be able to contact those players, and then players can begin to pick the next destinations in their college careers. The window for undergraduates to enter the transfer portal closed Jan. 2, but players will still be able to enter it for various reasons, so the movement will continue. The spring window for undergraduates to enter the transfer portal will be open from April 16 through April 30.

It’s a busy time of year, and Lions 247 is here to help. Below, you’ll find our Penn State Transfer Portal Tracker. It’s an attempt to keep you up to date on the latest transfer portal happenings as they pertain to the Nittany Lions.

247SPORTS TRANSFER PORTAL RESOURCES

• Who has entered the portal
• 247Sports Transfer Portal rankings
• 247Sports Transfer Portal news
• 247Sports Transfer Portal team rankings

LEAVING PENN STATE VIA THE TRANSFER PORTAL
These are the Penn State players who have entered or announced their intention to enter the NCAA Transfer Portal:

• Punter Alex Bacchetta (12/4) [read more] — committed to Rice
• Wide receiver Cristian Driver (12/4) [read more] — committed to Minnesota
• Cornerback Jace Tutty (12/4) — committed to Youngstown State
• Defensive end Jake Wilson (1/2) [read more]
• Wide receiver Dante Cephas (1/3) [read more] — enrolled at Kansas State
• Offensive lineman Ibrahim Traore (1/9) [read more]
• Wide receiver Mason Stahl (1/26) [read more]

COMING TO PENN STATE VIA THE TRANSFER PORTAL
These are the players who have announced their intention to transfer to Penn State out of the transfer portal:

• Chase Meyer, K, Tulsa (12/17) [read more]
• Julian Fleming, WR, Ohio State (1/3) [read more]
• Jordan Mayer, LB, Wisconsin (1/5) [read more]
• Nolan Rucci, OL, Wisconsin (1/6) [read more]
• A.J. Harris, CB, Georgia (1/11) [read more]
• Jalen Kimber, CB, Florida (1/11) [read more]

Penn State initially secured the commitment of Division II Shorter offensive lineman Alan Herron on Dec. 11, but he flipped his commitment to Maryland on Dec. 21.

JAN. 26 UPDATES
Former Penn State wide receiver Mason Stahl, who also played quarterback for the Nittany Lions, is in the transfer portal after spending four seasons with the program. Stahl wasn't listed on Penn State's updated roster earlier this month. Stahl appeared in nine games, primarily on special teams, during his career, but he also carried three times for 22 yards against Rutgers in 2021.

JAN. 20 UPDATES
According to our 247Sports colleagues at GoPowercat.com, former Penn State wide receiver Dante Cephas has enrolled at Kansas State. Cephas will reunite with Matthew Middleton, the Wildcats wide receivers coach who held the same position at Kent State for the first four years of Cephas' college career.

JAN. 11 UPDATES
On the night of Jan. 11, Penn State made itsfirst six transfer portal additions official.

Penn State made a pair of significant additions to its secondary with former Georgia cornerback A.J. Harris and former Florida cornerback Jalen Kimber, who was initially committed to Louisville, joining the Nittany Lions roster out of the transfer portal. After sending three cornerbacks to the NFL after the 2023 season, cornerbacks coach Terry Smith suddenly has more talent to work with on the back end.

Harris is a former five-star recruit in the Class of 2023 who appeared in seven games for the Bulldogs as a true freshman. He'll have three seasons of eligibility remaining in Happy Valley. Read more about Harris here.

Kimber began his career at Georgia before transferring to Florida. He has two seasons of eligibility remaining after splitting the previous four seasons between the Bulldogs and Gators.In two seasons at Florida, Kimber registered 36 tackles, six pass breakups and an interception that came during the 2022 season. In two seasons at Georgia, he totaled three tackles playing mostly on special teams. Read more about Kimber here.

JAN. 9 UPDATES
Penn State’s offensive line depth saw some attrition with the entry of redshirt junior Ibrahim Traore into the transfer portal. Traore appeared in one game — the 63-0 win over UMass in October — during his four seasons with the Nittany Lions. He was a three-star recruit in the Class of 2020, and he was one of five offensive linemen to sign in that class.

JAN. 7 UPDATES
Former Penn State wide receiver Cristian Driver, who entered the transfer portal when it opened Dec. 4, announced his commitment to Minnesota on social media. He appeared in 10 games over his two seasons, which featured a switch from cornerback to wide receiver. He had one catch for eight yards. Driver and Minnesota will host Penn State in Minneapolis on Nov. 23.

Former Indiana running back Jaylin Lucas, who Penn State pursued shortly after he entered the transfer portal in December, went off the board to Florida State. He visited State College during the process, but it appears Penn State didn’t push too hard for the versatile playmaker with Big Ten experience.

Former Texas A&M cornerback Tony Grimes, who visited Penn State a couple earlier, announced his commitment to Michigan State.

JAN. 6 UPDATES
Penn State added another Pennsylvania native who began his career elsewhere before deciding to return home. Former Wisconsin offensive lineman Nolan Rucci announced his commitment to the Nittany Lions, and he provides a boost to a position group that is losing both of its starting tackles to the NFL.

Rucci was a five-star recruit and the No. 1 player in Pennsylvania in the Class of 2021. Rucci attended Lititz (Pa.) Warwick and was the No. 17 prospect nationally. He played 70 offensive snaps in five games over three seasons at Wisconsin. He has two seasons of eligibility remaining.

JAN. 5 UPDATES
Penn State boosted its depth with former Wisconsin linebacker Jordan Mayer announcing his commitment to the Nittany Lions. Mayer was a three-star recruit out of Clairton (Pa.) Thomas Jefferson and didn’t record any statistics in his lone season with the Badgers. He has four seasons of eligibility remaining.

Former Texas A&M cornerback Tony Grimes, who began his career at North Carolina, posted that he was on an official visit to Penn State. Grimes was a Composite five-star recruit in the Class of 2020, and the Nittany Lions were involved in his recruitment.

Our Tyler Donohue caught up with Julian Fleming for a wide-ranging discussion about his decision to commit to Penn State, coach James Franklin and much more.

JAN. 3 UPDATES
Penn State had a big day when it came to wide receivers and the transfer portal.

First, former Ohio State wide receiver Julian Fleming announced his commitment to the Nittany Lions. Fleming, the former five-star prospect who was the No. 1 player in Pennsylvania in the Class of 2020, has one season of eligibility left after catching 79 passes for 963 yards and seven touchdowns in 48 games over his four seasons in Columbus, Ohio. Fleming caught 26 passes for 270 yards at Ohio State last season.

Fleming adds experience and maturity to a wide receiver room that struggled to find its footing during the 2023 season.

Later, wide receiver Dante Cephas entered the transfer portal after his one season with Penn State. Cephas was Penn State’s buzziest portal addition last offseason, but he caught only 22 passes for 246 yards (11.18 yards per catch) and two touchdowns in 12 games (six starts). He didn’t play in the Peach Bowl despite dressing and warming up.

Cephas arrived at Penn State from Kent State where he put up big numbers in the MAC. The Pittsburgh native couldn’t get it to translate over to the Big Ten with the Nittany Lions.

JAN. 2 UPDATES
Things were largely quiet on the transfer portal front for Penn State over the holidays and during the Peach Bowl, but the Nittany Lions saw their first post-Peach Bowl departure Jan. 2.

Defensive end Jake Wilson entered the transfer portal, he announced and Lions247 confirmed. Wilson appeared in 27 games over four seasons with the program. He primarily played special teams, and he was able to make an important impact behind the scenes. Wilson was named a Developmental Squad Defensive Player of the Year for 2023, and he earned Developmental Squad Defensive Player of the Week on 11 occasions in his career.

Wilson was credited with three tackles and two quarterback hurries in his career.

With Wilson and defensive back Jace Tutty both entering the transfer portal, Penn State will need to replace two of its top practice players next season.

DEC. 23 UPDATES
Another wide receiver is off the board with Miami (Fla.) transfer Colbie Young picking Georgia. Young took an official visit to Penn State earlier this month, and he appeared to be the type of wide receiver who could add something different to the Nittany Lions room. Young, a Binghmaton, N.Y., native who spent time at Lackawanna College, was listed at 6-foot-5 and 215 pounds. He had 47 catches for 563 yards and five touchdowns for the Hurricanes in 2023. Young was ranked as the No. 6 wide receiver and the No. 36 overall player in the transfer portal by 247Sports.

Another old name from the past also made a decision in the transfer portal Saturday. Former Georgia offensive lineman Joshua Miller, who spent about six months committed to Penn State during the 2023 recruiting cycle, announced that he’s transferring to Syracuse. The 6-foot-4, 300-pound Miller, who was a three-star recruit, will be a redshirt freshman for the Orange.

DEC. 22 UPDATES
A top wide receiver target went off the board when North Carolina transfer Andre Greene Jr. picked Virginia out of the transfer portal. Greene visited State College earlier this month to take an official visit to Penn State. Greene, who had five catches for 43 yards and one touchdown in two seasons with the Tar Heels, would have been more of a developmental prospect for the Nittany Lions. But at 6-foot-2 and 200 pounds, Greene — a fringe top-100 recruit in the Class of 2022 — would have added a different body type to the wide receiver room.

Penn State kicker commit Chase Meyer, who picked the Nittany Lions on Dec. 17, posted on social media that he intends to enroll at Penn State next month. That will give him a chance to assert himself in the kicker competition early through offseason workouts and spring football.

DEC. 21 UPDATES
Penn State saw how the tables can turn in the transfer portal whenit lost offensive lineman Alan Herron to Maryland. Herron, a transfer from Division II Shorter, had originally committed to Penn State out of the transfer portal Dec. 11 shortly after completing an official visit. But Maryland stayed on the 6-foot-5, 310-pound Herron, who has two years of eligibility remaining. On Dec. 21, Maryland officially announced Shorter was joining the program.

At the time of his flip, Herron was ranked as the No. 10 offensive tackle and the No. 224 overall recruit in the transfer portal.

DEC. 20 UPDATES
Former Penn State cornerback Jace Tutty announced his commitment to Youngstown State out of the transfer portal. Tutty was a walk-on out of Stroudsburg (Pa.), who joined the program in 2021. Tutty spent all three seasons working on scout team — he was a seven-time Developmental Squad Player of the Week for defense and special teams in 2023 — and he made his Penn State debut against Michigan State in the season finale in Detroit.

DEC. 17 UPDATES
Penn State landed a specialist from the transfer portal with former Tulsa kicker Chase Meyer announcing his commitment to the Nittany Lions. Penn State struck gold at kicker in the portal last offseason with the addition of Alex Felkins, who made 18 of 22 field goals in the regular season of his final year of eligibility. Redshirt sophom*ore Sander Sahaydak began the season as the starter, and he remains on the roster.

DEC. 16 UPDATES
An old friend is on the move with former Penn State commit Zeed Haynes announcing his transfer from Georgia to Syracuse after spending one season with the Bulldogs.In summer 2022, Haynes earned an offer from the Nittany Lions with a strong performance at camp, and then he committed a week later after an official visit. He spent less than two months committed to Penn State before flipping to Georgia.Haynes was rated as a four-star recruit out of Lansdale (Pa.) North Penn in the Class of 2023.

DEC. 13 UPDATES
The first of Penn State’s transfer portal departures found his new home. Punter Alex Bacchetta is headed to Rice after spending two seasons with the Nittany Lions. He was Penn State’s first entrant into the transfer portal Dec. 4. He has three seasons of eligibility remaining at Rice, which went 6-6 in 2023 and is slated to play in the First Responder Bowl later this month.Bacchetta didn’t appear in any games for Penn State in 2023.

DEC. 11 UPDATES
Penn State made its first transfer portal addition Monday, Dec. 11 with Division II Shorter offensive lineman Alan Herron announcing his commitment to the Nittany Lions. Shorter visited State College over the weekend, and his decision came on the heels of that time around the program.

Herron is currently the No. 106 recruit overall and the No. 6 offensive tackle in the transfer portal, according to 247Sports. He picked Penn State over a group of schools that included Texas A&M and Clemson. Listed at 6-foot-5 and 310 pounds, Herron has two years of eligibility remaining.

Herron's addition adds to the depth in a Penn State offensive line room that could see some turnover this offseason.

DEC. 9 UPDATES
Indiana running back/return specialist Jaylin Lucas posted on social media that he was in State College for a visit. It was a quick turnaround for Lucas, who received his offer from Penn State when he entered the transfer portal Wednesday.

In a move that affects Penn State’s work in the transfer portal, punter Riley Thompson announced that he’s received two more seasons of eligibility from the NCAA. Thompson, a former Australian rules football player, transferred in from Florida Atlantic during last year’s transfer portal cycle. He earned All-Big Ten honorable mention for his work in 2023 when he was listed as a senior. Thompson’s return means that punter isn’t high on the list for Penn State to add in the portal.

DEC. 7 UPDATES
Penn State entered the mix for North Carolina transfer Andre Greene Jr. as the Nittany Lions look to bolster their wide receiver corps. He set an official visit for the upcoming weekend at Penn State.The 6-foot-2, 200-pound Greene caught two passes for 17 yards in 2023 to go with three catches for 26 yards and a touchdown in 2022. Greene finished his redshirt freshman season in 2023, so he'll have three seasons of eligibility remaining.

DEC. 6 UPDATES
Penn State threw its hat into the ring with another Big Ten transfer in Indiana running back/return specialist Jaylin Lucas. Lucas is a versatile playmaker who's made waves in the return game during his freshman season in 2022. Lucas averaged 28.1 yards per kick return and took two back for touchdowns last season en route to earning Big Ten Return Specialist of the Year and earned an assortment of All-Big Ten and All-America honors. In 2023, Lucas averaged 26 yards per kick return and took another one back for a touchdown.

DEC. 5 UPDATES

Penn State wide receiver Cristian Driver, who entered the transfer portal Monday, made his first public comments about his departure in a statement posted to social media.

"I would like to extend my heartfelt thanks to the incredible coaches at Penn State, the supportive community, and the enthusiastic fans," Driver wrote. "Your unwavering dedication, encouragement, and spirit has been the backbone of my journey. To the coaches, your guidance and wisdom have been invaluable, shaping not just my skills but also my character. I will cherish my time spent with each one of you. To the teachers, faculty, and staff, thank you for guiding me and pushing me in the classroom. With that being side, I have decided to enter the transfer portal with 3 years of eligibility left."

In the incoming front, Duke defensive lineman Aeneas Peebles has five visits scheduled, including Penn State. Brian Dohn has more here. Peebles as an All-ACC third-team selection after he recorded 40 tackles, 8.5 tackles for loss and four sacks for the Blue Devils.

Indiana wide receiver Donaven McCulley claimed an offer from the Nittany Lions on Tuesday night. The 6-foot-5, 200-pound McCulley is a former quarterback who caught 48 passes for 644 yards and six touchdowns last season. He had four catches for 96 yards and a touchdown against Penn State at Beaver Stadium in October.

DEC. 4 UPDATES
In the hours after the transfer portal opened, Penn State saw a pair of departures from its Class of 2022 in punter Alex Bacchetta and wide receiver Cristian Driver.

Bacchetta was a highly regarded specialist in that class, and he got a sampling of action during his redshirt season in 2022, but he was behind senior Riley Thompson and redshirt sophom*ore Gabe Nwosu on the depth chart in 2023. He didn't appear in a game, and he didn't make the travel roster. You can read more about Bacchetta's departure here.

Driver spent his two seasons searching for a home. He spent his redshirt season as a cornerback, but late in the season, he made the switch to wide receiver. He couldn't crack the rotation for a unit that struggled in 2023, though he did record his first career catch against Delaware in Week 2. You can read more about Driver's departure here.

Cornerback Jace Tutty, a redshirt sophom*ore, entered the transfer portal later Monday. Tutty was a walk-on out of Stroudsburg (Pa.), who joined the program in 2021. Tutty spent all three seasons working on scout team — he was a seven-time Developmental Squad Player of the Week for defense and special teams in 2023 — and he made his Penn State debut against Michigan State in the season finale in Detroit.

Coach James Franklin complimented Tutty throughout the season for his work in practice.

"He's been a really good teammate since he's arrived here, and he's bringing value, and it's appreciated by our coaching staff in the locker room," Franklin said in September.

MORE 247SPORTS TRANSFER PORTAL CONTENT

• 247Sports Transfer Portal
• 247Sports Transfer Portal homepage
• 247Sports Transfer Portal rankings
• 247Sports Transfer Portal team rankings
• Offseason Outlook: Which positions should Penn State prioritize in the transfer portal? (VIP)
• 2024 college football transfer portal to be 'insanity,' anonymous FBS staffers surveyed by 247Sports explain
• 2024 College Football Transfer Portal: How it works, when it opens and what to expect

Daniel Gallen covers Penn State for Lions247 and 247Sports. He can be reached at daniel.gallen@paramount.com. Follow Daniel on X at @danieljtgallen and Instagram at @bydanieljtgallen.