The transfer portal's depth of talent perfectly aligns with Penn State’s biggest need in the 2025 offseason. While the Nittany Lions prepare to face SMU in the first round of the 12-team College Football Playoff for the 2024 season, head coach James Franklin is also looking to the future with the portal open and plenty of quality wide receivers available.
Franklin’s No. 1 priority this offseason, after keeping offensive coordinator Andy Kotelnicki and quarterback Drew Allar in Happy Valley, is to provide them with big upgrades in the passing game. Kotelnicki and Allar were and are heavily reliant on Tyler Warren, but with the veteran tight end heading for the NFL, raising the talent level at wide receiver is paramount. Yet, Franklin keeps whiffing on the top talents.
The program’s philosophy in recent years has been all about retention, but Franklin entered this portal cycle preaching aggressiveness, and it’s unclear if that message has translated into tangible action.
On Wednesday night, North Carolina State transfer Kevin Concepcion, who had previously been reported to have interest in Penn State, announced his final six teams and the Nittany Lions couldn’t even crack that inclusive list. Concepcion is one of the most talented players available in this cycle and a great fit for Kotelnicki’s offense, but now, he’s almost certainly off the board. The same goes for the other portal wide receivers in 247Sports's top 5, Georgia Tech’s Eric Singleton Jr. USC’s Duce Robinson, Kentucky’s Dane Key, and Oklahoma’s Nic Anderson. All have begun to schedule visits and narrow their landing spots, and by recent reports, none have included Happy Valley on their list.
One of the problems for Penn State is that, despite the overwhelming depth of talent at wide receiver, nearly every team could use an upgrade on the outside and one of the most desperate teams is one of the country’s biggest NIL spenders, Georgia. After a few in-season dismissals, the Bulldogs are just as thin at wide receiver and it could cost Kirby Smart a third national championship in four years.
While Franklin is missing out on the top receivers in the portal, he’s not missing out completely. Instead, he is setting his sights on a group of five players ready to make the jump to the Big Ten. Penn State is one of the finalists for FIU transfer Eric Rivers and has an official visit scheduled with Miami (OH) transfer Reggie Virgil.