Penn State Football’s James Franklin strikes transfer gold in A.J. Lytton

Former Florida State defensive back A.J. Lytton will transfer to Penn State Football, 247 sports reports Tuesday. 

Lytton, originally part of the 2018 recruiting class, was heavily recruited by the Nittany Lions as a 4-star out of Maryland. He, like some of the other transfers Penn State has brought in, had a relationship with the staff from his original recruitment.

He attended Dr. Henry Wise High School in Upper Marlboro, MD. He is from the same town as current Penn State corner back Tariq Castro-Fields, although Castro-Fields attended a different school.

Lytton is the sixth key transfer James Franklin has brought in to fill holes on his 2021 roster. He joins running back John Lovett, offensive lineman Eric Wilson, corner back Johnny Dixon, defensive tackle Derrick Tangelo and defensive end Arnold Ebiketie.

Penn State has one of the best safeties in the country in Jaquan Brisker, but the spot opposite of him remains a question mark. Penn State took a run at Tykee Smith when he entered the portal, but ultimately finished second to Georgia for his services.

Lytton spent some time at a community college between his time at Florida State and now. He recorded 28 tackles in two season for the Seminoles. He did not play for Florida State in 2020 after reportedly being removed from the program after the 2019 season.

Rated as the 50th best player in the nation back in 2018, Lytton has the talent to be an impact player at Penn State. Considering it’s already June and Lytton didn’t play Division I football last season, he will have some catching up to do.

The move certainly is a good one for Franklin. He desperately needed more bodies at safety and if he can get acclimated quick enough, Lytton can have an impact on the 2021 Nittany Lion team.