Penn State Transfer Portal: 3 Second Chance Targets

The Transfer Portal has opened, and with that comes the chance for old Penn State targets to become new targets.

The now famous Transfer Portal opened on Monday. According to On3, over 1,000 players entered their names into the portal. While the Transfer Portal is controversial to some, it is an opportunity for Penn State to improve its roster in 2023.

Penn State features a young roster but will have some positions that can be improved by dipping into the Transfer Portal. The defensive line is always a position in which you can never have enough impact players. Wide Receiver is another position that you will always look to improve. Also, with the departure of cornerback Joey Porter Jr. and safety Ji’Ayir Brown, the secondary is missing proven playmakers.

Here are three Transfer Portal targets that Penn State recruited and offered out of High School.

CHAPEL HILL, NORTH CAROLINA – OCTOBER 16: Tony Grimes #20 of the North Carolina Tar Heels breaks up a pass in the end zone intended for Charleston Rambo #11 of the Miami Hurricanes during the second half of their game at Kenan Memorial Stadium on October 16, 2021 in Chapel Hill, North Carolina. North Carolina won 45-42. (Photo by Grant Halverson/Getty Images) /

Cornerback Tony Grimes

Tony Grimes is a class of 2020 five-star cornerback recruit. The five-star recruit was ranked as the third-best corner and a top thirty recruit overall.

Grimes went to High School in Virginia, where we know Penn State recruiting has had a ton of success lately. The Nittany Lions were listed as one of Grimes’ top eight schools before he committed to North Carolina.

The main recruiters for Grimes were cornerbacks Coach Terry Smith and recruiting extraordinaire Ja’Juan Seider, which are both still with Penn State. The emergence of Joey Porter Jr. and Kalen King has to appeal to Grimes, who is looking to improve and enter the NFL Draft.

Wide Receiver Dont’e Thornton

EUGENE, OR – NOVEMBER 19: Wide receiver Dont’e Thornton #2 of the Oregon Ducks avoids an attempted tackle by safety R.J. Hubert #11 of the Utah Utes during the second quarter of the game at Autzen Stadium on November 19, 2022 in Eugene, Oregon. (Photo by Ali Gradischer/Getty Images) /

Dont’e Thornton is another previous recruit that the Penn State staff feels like they just missed out on the first time. Before committing to Oregon, the Nittany Lions featured in Thornton’s top three schools.

Thornton was a four-star recruit from one of Penn States’ pipeline states, Maryland. The four-star recruit was ranked as the seventh-best receiver prospect and a top-60 recruit overall. Of his top-three schools, Oregon, Penn State, and Arizona State, Penn State is the only one that hasn’t had a coaching regime change.

Penn State continues to develop and send Wide Receivers to the NFL. Thornton has the big play potential that was missing from Penn States’ offense this season.

Defensive Lineman Elijah Jeudy

Most Penn State fans will remember Elijah Jeudy as the “hometown” Philadelphia kid that did not include Penn State in his top five schools. As we all know, he ended up in the historic Texas A&M recruiting class.

Jeudy was a four-star recruit in the 2021 recruiting cycle. The Edge Rusher was a top-ten recruit in the state of Pennsylvania. A lot has changed for Penn State since his commitment to Texas A&M.

While Defensive Line Coach John Scott Jr. is still with the Nittany Lions, Manny Diaz was not during Jeudy’s recruitment. Manny Diaz has ushered in a new era at Penn State where chaos is the name of the game. With the rotations that Penn State likes to play, any Defensive Lineman would love to play in this system.

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