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Examining the role of Penn State Football transfers in 2021

By Lawrence Santa Maria

BATON ROUGE, LOUISIANA - OCTOBER 24: John Dixon #22 of the South Carolina Gamecocks in action against the LSU Tigers during a game at Tiger Stadium on October 24, 2020 in Baton Rouge, Louisiana. (Photo by Jonathan Bachman/Getty Images)
BATON ROUGE, LOUISIANA - OCTOBER 24: John Dixon #22 of the South Carolina Gamecocks in action against the LSU Tigers during a game at Tiger Stadium on October 24, 2020 in Baton Rouge, Louisiana. (Photo by Jonathan Bachman/Getty Images) /
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Penn State Football has been among the more active programs acquiring talent from the transfer portal this offseason, adding four players who might contribute immediately

Penn State Football has brought in four players already through the transfer portal this offseason, all of whom certainly have their sights set on a starting gig after being starters at their previous school.

The deadline for college football players to declare for the NFL is Monday, January 18th, and it seems at this point the Nittany Lions have answers on all of eligible players on whether they will return for the 2021 season or not.

Head coach James Franklin, as well as Penn State Football fans, have to be pleasantly surprised with the news they have received the past two weeks. Star wide receiver Jahan Dotson, left tackle Rasheed Walker, safety Jaquan Brisker and cornerback Tariq Castro-Fields will all be returning next season. The chances of retaining all four key players seemed low at season’s end.

With the return of those four, it is yet to be seen if Franklin stays aggressive and adds any more talent through the portal. Reports from Lions247 state PSU is currently in contact with at least two players, Illinois defensive end Owen Carney and Harvard offensive linemen Eric Wilson.

Franklin seems to be wanting to make sure the 4-5 season of 2020 is more of a one off than the beginning of a trend, again showing his urgency when he replaced offensive coordinator Kirk Ciarrocca after just one season, bringing in former Texas offensive coordinator Mike Yurcich.

Let’s examine the potential role and impact of the four transfers so far and how they may potentially fit into the 2021 depth chart.

John Lovett – Running Back

Former Baylor running back John Lovett was a target of Penn State’s coming out of high school in New Jersey in 2017, but he ultimately chose Baylor and former coach Matt Rhule.

Lovett lead the Bears in rushing his first three seasons from ’17-’19, but fell out of favor when Rhule left for the NFL, only rushing for 130 yards on 45 attempts last season. During his first three seasons at Baylor the New Jersey native ran for 1,673 and 16 touchdowns.

Lovett will enter a crowded backfield in Happy Valley, however the Nittany Lions saw this past season how quickly depth at running back can disappear due to injuries. It is yet to be seen if sophomore Noah Cain will be ready and fully healed by the start of next season and the team’s trip to Wisconsin in week 1.

Freshman Keyvone Lee took over the lead role down the stretch of the season, while it is fair to wonder about the head space of Devyn Ford who seemingly lost his job to the freshman, and now sees Franklin go out and get an experienced back in the portal.

Lovett has a similar running style to that of Cain and Lee, a one cut, north and south style runner that runs behind his pads. Expect to see Lovett split carries with Lee, and once Cain is healthy to potentially make it a three man rotation, similar to what we saw early in 2019.

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