Transfer portal on fire, but is James Franklin asleep at the wheel?

Penn State Football head coach James Franklin has taken a slow and selective approach to the transfer portal this offseason after being as aggressive as any school last year 

Penn State Football had a disappointing 2021 campaign finishing 7-6 after starting the year 5-0, however, who knows where they would have been without the players they acquired via the transfer portal.

Last offseason head coach James Franklin got right to work after the season ended, adding five key transfers all by this time in January, getting four of them to campus meaning they were with the team through winter workouts and spring practice.

Arnold Ebiketie led the team with double-digit sacks, Derick Tangelo was a starter at defensive tackle and once PJ Mustipher went down, he became even more vital to the defense. Running back John Lovett rushed for 177 yards but was key in the Auburn game and cornerback Johnny Dixon saw a lot of playing time and figures to be a starter in the secondary in 2022. That is all said not to forget Eric Wilson who started 11 games at guard this year.

With the success those guys had this year, it was assumed Franklin would once again attack the porta,l but here we are almost through January and the Lions’ only addition to this point, although a big one, has been wide receiver Mitchell Tinsley out of Western Kentucky.

The frustration among Penn State Football fans is that the Nittany Lions seem to be late to the party with offers on some of the top talent, and with the portal moving so quickly, you cannot afford to asleep at the wheel ever in this process.

Right now, it is hard to love the roster Penn State Football currently has for next season, and it is impossible to ignore the holes and question marks at linebacker, offensive line and safety.

We compiled a list of five key players the Nittany Lions missed out on thus far in the transfer portal because they either were not involved and should have been, or offered late and they went elsewhere.

Here are the ones who got away from James Franklin, Penn State Franklin via the transfer portal:

Olu Oluwatimi – Center

Committed to Michigan

The former Virginia center entered the transfer portal in early December and has landed with the Michigan Wolverines, a huge get for an offensive line that won the Moore award this past season which is awarded to the best offensive line in the country.

After Oluwatimi entered the portal we immediately had him as a top target for Penn State Football. Considering he was not only one of the best centers in the country but was an alumnus of DeMatha Catholic in Maryland, a pipeline high school for the Nittany Lions, we called him a “gif from the football gods” for James Franklin.

A Rimington Award finalist and second-team All-American, he is as good as they come and plays a position of dire need for Penn State Football.

Oluwatimi would have been the type of player to come in from day one and change the entire dynamic of the line, as centers are traditionally the quarterback of the line. He is already on his way to early NFL draft boards and All-American watch lists for next season.

Rivals reported that Penn State Football had interest but it seemingly never went beyond that, as they were never really in the mix.

Have to ask yourself why the full-court press wasn’t put on Oluwatimi from the get-go…