The Transfer Portal window has closed, but that doesn’t mean that player movement is done. Players who entered their name into the portal by Friday, January 16, are still eligible to move once the portal closes, and that means remaining uncommitted players, even with Spring football around the corner, are still up for grabs.
Matt Campbell and his general manager Derek Hoodjer, have already made 36 transfer additions to their first roster since taking over in Happy Valley. Many of those players followed them from Iowa State.
Now, all but five of Iowa State’s 55 outgoing transfers have signed either with Penn State or elsewhere, so you can assume that if a former Cyclone hasn’t come to Happy Valley yet, they didn’t get the invite. Maybe that means Penn State is done and the roster is set for 2026. If that’s the case, it’s a top-five portal haul for a program that desperately needed to turn over the roster for a new era. If it’s not, there aren’t many potential impact pieces left on the board.
But there are a few. A few players who could hang at the Power 4 level are still up for grabs on the open market, many needing to be rescued from the portal. Campbell could be their life raft, and they could be solid contributors for the Nittany Lions.
Morgan had committed to Virginia Tech after playing 125 snaps in 10 games as a true freshman at Baylor in 2025. However, reported enrollment issues prevented the 2025 four-star from joining James Franklin in Blacksburg.
Beyond Morgan’s obvious talent and potential as a 6-foot-5, 250-pound edge rusher, it would have to feel nice for Campbell to stick it to Franklin on the transfer recruiting trail by landing Morgan. Maybe those same enrollment issues would prevent him from going to Happy Valley, but if not, Penn State could use another high-upside edge rusher on D’Anton Lynn’s defense.
Davidson did not see an offensive snap in his true freshman season at Auburn, but he’s a 2025 four-star recruit who ranked 331st in the country according to 247Sports Composite. With a 6-foot-5 frame, he projects to be a solid offensive weapon from the tight end position and could be another long-term project for the Nittany Lions after losing Luke Reynolds, Andrew Olesh, Matt Henderson, and Joey Schlaffer.
Penn State brought in Benjamin Brahmer, Gabe Burkle, and Cooper Alexander from Iowa State, but Alexander is the only one with eligibility beyond the 2026 season.
It’s actually hard to figure out why Forrest hasn’t found a home yet in the portal. He wasn’t a highly-regarded recruit coming out of high school in 2025, but had a strong true freshman season, recording 52 tackles and 4.5 sacks with a forced fumble for the Monarchs.
He has good size for an off-ball linebacker, decent speed, and proven production. He appeared to be the perfect candidate to make the jump to the Power 4 level, but he’s yet to sign, and there haven’t been many signs of interest. With how well he played in 2025, there would have to be a major red flag to keep every school away for this long. If not, Penn State should absolutely take a flyer.