Grading James Franklin's underwhelming transfer portal class through Penn State’s undefeated start

James Franklin has a consistent strategy for building his rosters at Penn State and for the most part, it doesn't include the transfer portal. Franklin has been known for some of the most boring national signing days in the country, almost yearly landing his entire committed recruiting class, and in the offseason, his focus is more on retaining that talent than scouring the portal for replacements. 

However, Franklin utilizes the transfer portal as most major programs should, to plug holes on his roster with proven veterans. This offseason Franklin added a six-play portal class and while that group has produced three starters on the No. 3 ranked Nittany Lions in 2024, the class has been a bit underwhelming, and poor play from the headliner of the class could be a big reason that Franklin’s team doesn’t get over the hump to win the Big Ten. 

We’re halfway through the season, so it’s a perfect time for a midseason portal report for these six newcomers. 

• AJ Harris, CB: Georgia
• Jalen Kimber, CB: Florida
• Jordan Mayer, DE: Wisconsin
• Julian Fleming, WR: Ohio State
• Nolan Rucci, OT: Wisconsin
• Chase Meyer, K: Tulsa

On the defensive side of the ball, Franklin did a nice job. Cornerbacks AJ Harris and Jalen Kimber have been crucial parts of defensive coordinator Tom Allen’s unit. Without Harris especially, the Nittany Lions would have a serious weakness in their secondary. However, this group gets a C+ because of the lack of impact on the offense. 

Julian Fleming and Nolan Rucci were both former five-star recruits who both returned to their home state of Pennsylvania this offseason, yet neither is having the season they would have hoped for. Rucci lost a camp battle with Anthony Donkoh to start at right tackle and Fleming has failed to establish himself as a reliable receiver for Drew Allar. Even on special teams with Sander Sahaydak losing his job, Franklin went to freshman Ryan Barker over Chase Meyer. 

It was unclear coming into the season who would emerge as CB1 in Allen’s defense, but from Week 1, it’s been Harris. The sophomore has played the fourth most defensive snaps this season and he’s only allowed 10 catches on 17 coverage targets for 67 yards and a touchdown with one interception and two pass breakups. He is only allowing one reception every 13.7 coverage snaps which is 22nd best among cornerbacks in the Big Ten with at least 50 coverage snaps this season. 

While Harris has played the most snaps of any Penn State corner, Kimber has played the most snaps at outside cornerback for the Nittany Lion's defense. Kimber is the clear CB2 to Harris and has been serviceable in the role. He’s only allowed eight receptions for 84 yards and he’s steadily improving with his best coverage performances coming against UCLA and USC. 

With the losses of Kalen King, Johnny Dixon, and Daequan Hardy all in one offseason, Franklin needed to land two starting-caliber cornerbacks and he pulled it off with only two tries. That’s a huge win for the 11th-year head coach of the Nittany Lions. 

Mayer has played three total defensive snaps across appearances in two games this season. Penn State is loaded at defensive end, but if injuries occur, Mayer could work his way up the depth chart. He was expected to be a big impact player and with three years of eligibility beyond this season, he could be a promising developmental piece for Franklin and his coaching staff. 

Once KeAndre Lambert-Smith transferred to Auburn this offseason, there was plenty of uncertainty surrounding Penn State’s wide receiver room. The big questions were if Harrison Wallace III could stay healthy if Liam Clifford could emerge as a true slot wide receiver threat, and if Ohio State’s glut of talent at wide receiver could explain Julian Fleming’s disappointing career. To this point, Penn State still doesn't have a true WR1, other than tight end Tyler Warren.

Fleming left PA as the No. 1 player in the state in the 2020 recruiting class, choosing the Buckeyes over the Nittany Lions, and when he returned to his home state, there was an expectation that he would finally produce like the five-star talent that he was. However, through six games, Fleming has only nine catches for 132 yards and is tied for the team lead with two drops. Among the 100 players in the Big Ten with at least 10 targets this season, Fleming ranks 86th in yards per route run at 1.14. 

Maybe expectations were too high for Fleming’s triumphant return to PA, he was always a more impactful player in the run game as a blocker for Ohio State, but even those who were realistic about his potential production would have expected more to this point. It’s still possible that Fleming has a big second half. His two fourth-down conversion grabs against USC could jumpstart his season, but that feels unlikely. 

Penn State already had significant investment in offensive tackle after adding Anthony Donkoh, J’Ven Williams, and Alex Birchmeier in the 2023 recruiting class. So, it never felt necessary to bring Rucci to Happy Valley after he struggled to see the field at Wisconsin. That was confirmed when Donkoh won the starting job, but Rucci does provide useful depth at both tackle spots while Williams and Birchmeier continue to develop. He has played 101 snaps at right tackle and 24 at left tackle and has only allowed two quarterback pressures. 

It’s hard to evaluate Meyer considering he hasn’t seen the field, however, he came to Penn State to provide kicking depth behind Sander Sahaydak who also lost his starting job last season, and yet he couldn’t manage to beat out Barker for the gig. With Barker having more eligibility remaining than Meyer, it’s unlikely we ever see the Tulsa transfer attempt an impactful kick for the Nittany Lions.