A fourth Penn State football player declared his intent to enter the Transfer Portal when it opens on Jan. 2, 2026. Offensive lineman Alex Birchmeier made his announcement via Twitter/X on Friday, Dec. 19.
It read:
"I want to thank the Penn State coaching staff, my teammates, and the entire Penn State community for everything during my time at Penn State. I'm grateful for the opportunity to be part of such a great program and for the relationships and lessons I've gained along the way.
"After careful consideration, I will be entering the transfer portal to explore new opportunities.
"I will have two years of eligibility remaining and am excited for what's ahead."
— Alex Birchmeier (@Alex_Birchmeier) December 19, 2025
Offensive lineman Alex Birchmeier declares intent to enter the Transfer Portal in January
Birchmeier, from the Class of 2023, was a top-100 recruit who played in 26 games across his two active seasons as a Nittany Lion. He did not play his true freshman year. Before coming to Penn State, he was a four-star offensive lineman and 54th recruit from his class, according to 247Sports Composite rankings. Birchmeier was the top player out of Virginia and No. 2 interior offensive lineman across the country.
When getting recruited, he received a number of offers from notable programs, like Notre Dame, Ohio State, Oregon, Michigan, Indiana, LSU, South Carolina, Georgia, Miami, Tennessee, Auburn, and Florida. Virginia Tech also extended an offer. It will be interesting to see if that spot peaks his the lineman's interest after an underwhelming development under Hokies head coach James Franklin when he led Penn State.
In 2024, he played in all 16 contests. As a redshirt sophomore, he made 10 appearances. The only games he did not play in during the 2025 regular season was against Nebraska and Rutgers, the final two of the season. Birchemeier was mainly used on special teams due to a returner-heavy offensive line of starters. He had just 34 snaps on offense and 147 on special teams.
Birchmeier joins three other now-former Nittany Lions who declared intent to leave Happy Valley: tight end Joey Schlaffer, cornerback Elliott Washington II, and edge rusher Chaz Coleman.