Late Penn State portal entry puts pressure on incoming Nittany Lion transfer

Smith Vilbert is heading to the transfer portal which means Jim Knowles will need to develop Enai White or Max Granville to start opposite Dani Dennis-Sutton.
Penn State Nittany Lions defensive end Smith Vilbert (92)
Penn State Nittany Lions defensive end Smith Vilbert (92) | Sam Navarro-Imagn Images

Defensive end Smith Vilbert was granted a seventh-year of eligibility for his final season at Penn State, but the 2019 three-star recruit has decided to use it elsewhere. Vilbert, who played a career-high 339 snaps in 2024, has entered the transfer portal and is no longer on the Penn State roster

The 6-foot-6 veteran defensive end was projected for an expanded role with the Nittany Lions in 2025, likely starting opposite senior Dani Dennis-Sutton. After Big Ten Defensive Player of the Year, Abdul Carter left for the NFL following his dominant junior season and veteran defensive end Amin Vanover was not granted an extra year of eligibility, Vilbert was the most experienced option outside of Dennis-Sutton, a former five-star in line for a breakout season. 

Veteran defensive end Smith Vilbert departing Penn State for transfer portal

Vilbert’s change of heart could be related to Penn State’s hiring of defensive coordinator Jim Knowles to replace Tom Allen after the latter left for Clemson this offseason. Knowles adjusted to using a four-down front across his three-year tenure at Ohio State, but in his previous stops at Oklahoma State and Duke, his base defense featured three-down linemen and a stand-up linebacker as the other rush-end. 

At 6-foot-6 282 pounds, Vilbert would be an oversized outside linebacker and is unlikely to usurp Dennis-Sutton on the depth chart at defensive end. Still, his loss is noticeable on the Nittany Lions depth chart and will put a lot of pressure on incoming transfer Enai White. 

A former four-star recruit out of Philadelphia, White is returning to his home state after three seasons at Texas A&M. White has been limited by injuries throughout his career and played just nine snaps across two games in 2024. However, at 6-foot-5 245 pounds, he’s a more ideal fit for Knowles system and could find himself as a starter in Year 1 with the Nittany Lions. 

The problem with that proposition is that White has never played more than 90 snaps in a season. His limited involvement was directly related to knee injuries, not a lack of talent. However, with 52 snaps as a true freshman in his redshirt season last year, 6-foot-3 230-pound four-star Max Granville is nearly as experienced. 

Enai White and Max Granville likely to battle for snaps opposite Dani Dennis-Sutton

As most programs prepare to spend the $20 million heading to their athletic department as a part of the incoming revenue-sharing agreement, there was less high-level talent in the transfer portal this offseason. With NIL dollars more evenly dispersed across the country, every team has a better chance of holding onto its best players. 

White was not the best defensive end in the transfer portal, but there were not many superstars looking for a new team. That could be why Penn State chose to pay up to poach Knowles from Ohio State instead of investing that money in its portal class. If Knowles can develop White or Granville into a star next season, then he is well worth the $3 million a year that Penn State is paying him.

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