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.
Johnny Dixon – Cornerback
The cornerback room got a major boost when senior Castro-Fields announced he will return for a fifth season in 2019. Castro-Fields is by far the most experienced corner in that position group and will most likely retain his starting job next season.
Dixon, the former Gamecock, enters the fold after starting every game last season after their top two corners opted out of the season. Dixon allowed the fourth lowest completion percentage in the SEC last season, allowing completions on only 35.3% of passes thrown his way.
The Tampa Florida native will most likely compete with redshirt freshman Joey Porter Jr. for starting snaps next fall, and it could be tough to upend the incumbent after Porter Jr. was one of defensive coordinator Brent Pry’s most reliable players this season.
Dixon could kick inside into the slot and play the Star position, what Penn State Football calls the nickel corner spot. You cannot have enough good cover corners and even if Dixon is coming off the bench, expect him to see a high rep count.
The depth in 2020 at cornerback could be the best in Franklin’s tenure, as Keaton Ellis and Marquise Wilson will still be around forming what should be a very formidable unit.
Derrick Tangelo – Defensive Tackle
Tangelo is a grad transfer from Duke University, and joins a defensive line unit that will lose three starters from this past season. Defensive ends Jayson Oweh and Shaka Toney are off to the NFL, while defensive tackle Antonio Shelton elected to transfer to Florida for one last season in college.
It is fair to assume Shelton’s departure opened the door for Tangelo’s arrival in State College, and he will most likely take over that starting position next to junior PJ Mustipher on the interior.
Tangelo brings a lot of experience and and production to Penn State football, as over the past four seasons he has tallied 104 total tackles, 12 tackles for loss and four and a half sacks. At six-foot-two and 310 pounds will be a presence on this defensive line.
In an interview with the Lions247 podcast, Tangelo described himself as a physical player who loves to dominate the man across from him. The Nittany Lions defense could use that type of player after a down season in 2020.
Expect Hakeem Beamon and Fred Hansard to also be in the mix for starting reps next fall, but will most likely be solid depth up front while Mustipher and Tangelo are the starters.
Arnold Ebiketie – Defensive End
Ebiketie is a former Temple Owl and was maybe the most significant addition Penn State Football made through the portal based on need of the position.
Before Ebiketie was in the picture, the defensive end position was the thinnest unit on the roster after the departures of Oweh and Toney. Sophomore Adisa Isaac, redshirt freshman Smith Vilbert and redshirt sophomore Nick Tarburton are the only other ends on the roster, with a combined 1.5 sacks between the three of them.
The former Temple product will most likely start opposite Isaac next season, assuming Franklin does not add to this position further in the portal.
The Maryland native is listed at six-foot-four and 235 pounds and was the most productive member of the Owls front in his time there. He earned second team All-AAC honors last year with 42 total tackles, four sacks, eight and a half tackles for loss and three forced fumbles.
He will take the pressure off of Isaac who will be starting for the first time and now will not be expected to be the “guy” along this defensive front, Ebiketie will.