Penn State Football’s top transfer portal targets
The transfer portal is heating up, and much like last offseason, expect James Franklin and Penn State Football to be aggressive in the market to fill some huge holes that could exist on this roster
Last season we saw Penn State Football head coach James Franklin go out and be aggressive in the transfer portal, acquiring five players who all either started or played a significant role this season.
After the success of players like Arnold Ebiketie and Derick Tangelo it is hard to imagine Franklin won’t once again be active in the transfer market trying to fill what could be a few glaring holes in this roster. Especially when going to next season the Nittany Lions could be especially thin at offensive line, linebacker, safety and even wide receiver as they look to fill the void left by Jahan Dotson.
With quarterback Sean Clifford announcing he will return for a sixth season and incoming top-rated quarterback prospect Drew Allar, they will not need to look to the portal for a quarterback.
We have seen teams like Michigan State already being very active landing a few players already, even a linebacker that was a target of the Nittnay Lions. It will get late early if they do not pounce on a few players who will have their pick of the litter when it comes to big time power five programs.
We compiled a list of the top six transfer portal targets for Penn State Football below that make sense from a talent and position perspective. We did not include any players with crystal ball predictions to other schools or anyone that is unrealistic for Franklin to go get.
Here are realistic transfer portal targets for James Franklin, Penn State Football:
6. Daiyan Henley – Linebacker/Nevada
Linebacker might be the biggest need for Penn State Football in the portal this offseason as they may lose both Brandon Smith and Ellis Brooks to the NFL, returning only Curtis Jacobs.
The NIttany Lions offered former UNLV linebacker Jacoby Windmon but were in on him too late, as he has already committed to Michigan State. However, just the interest in him shows Franklin feels the need to add at linebacker.
Henley is former two star recruit who has massively overachieved in his college career and put together a very good 2021 campaign. Henley tallied up 94 total tackles to go with four interceptions and three pass breakups. He was productive in 2020 as well with 49 tackles, clearly a late bloomer who may have his best football ahead of him.
His ability to play in space and against the pass is something Manny Diaz could really use in this Penn State Football defense, as Brooks and Smith struggled in that area this past season.