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Breaking: Penn State Football Lands Big-Play Transfer WR Mitchell Tinsley

By Alec Whitaker

STATE COLLEGE, PA - SEPTEMBER 25: Head coach James Franklin of the Penn State Nittany Lions leads his team onto the field before the game against the Villanova Wildcats at Beaver Stadium on September 25, 2021 in State College, Pennsylvania. (Photo by Scott Taetsch/Getty Images)
STATE COLLEGE, PA - SEPTEMBER 25: Head coach James Franklin of the Penn State Nittany Lions leads his team onto the field before the game against the Villanova Wildcats at Beaver Stadium on September 25, 2021 in State College, Pennsylvania. (Photo by Scott Taetsch/Getty Images) /
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James Franklin and Penn State Football seemingly struck transfer portal gold, adding playmaking WR Mitchell Tinsley

Penn State football received a commitment from one of the best wide receivers in the country on Christmas Eve, when Western Kentucky transfer Mitchell Tinsley announced his decision to transfer to Penn State.

In 14 games this past season, Tinsley caught 87 passes for 1,402 yards and 14 touchdowns. He was the No. 2 pass-catching target in Western Kentucky’s high-flying offense that averaged 44.2 points per game in 2021. Tinsley will be a senior entering 2022, making this his shot to impress NFL scouts.

While Tinsley may not exactly be a replacement for Jahan Dotson, who is expected to head to the NFL, he at least gives the Nittany Lions another offensive threat to pair with Parker Washington, KeAndre Lambert-Smith and the tight end group.

Listed at 6-foot-1 and 205 pounds, Tinsley has the size to play in the Big Ten. He faced two Big Ten opponents in 2021 in Indiana and Michigan State and went for 11 catches and 195 yards combined in the two contests. So, questions about his ability to play a step up in competition should not be much of a worry.

Tinsley is just the first domino in what is expected to be a busy off-season for head coach James Franklin and his staff. The Nittany Lions will need to address holes on the offensive line, defensive end and linebacker through the portal as well. The return of quarterback Sean Clifford for a sixth season certainly helps, as it’s one less thing to worry about in the portal.

Franklin made a change in philosophy last off-season, when he decided to be more aggressive in the transfer portal and ended up brining in five players via the portal, the most Penn State ever has during Franklin’s tenure. It looks like the Nittany Lions may go past that number this off-season.

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