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Penn State football transfer portal needs and ideal targets for James Franklin

James Franklin and his staff will be aggressive in the transfer portal this offseason and they should be targeting players at these three positions.

By Josh Yourish

Penn State Nittany Lions head coach James Franklin
Penn State Nittany Lions head coach James Franklin / Matthew O'Haren-Imagn Images
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On Saturday, Penn State fell to No. 1 Oregon in the Big Ten Championship Game 45-37. On Sunday, the Nittany Lions were ranked as the No. 4 overall team in the final Collge Football Playoff rankings reveal and the No. 6 seed in the 12-team CFP bracket. Then, on Monday, the transfer portal officially opened across college football. 

December is relentless for college football coaches, especially those still hoping to win a national championship this season. Despite that aspiration, James Franklin still has one eye toward the future and the transfer portal, as he told reporters in his first press conference since the announcement of Penn State’s CFP seeding. 

“We’re moving, and I’m pushing my staff to be very aggressive,” Franklin said when asked about how he’d handle the portal amidst preparations to play No. 11 SMU at Beaver Stadium on December 21. 

Last season, Penn State added six players through the portal, but that left holes on the 2024 roster, and to plug them for 2025, Franklin will need to target these three positions. 

Penn State transfer portal needs: 

Wide receiver:

Penn State lost KeAndre Lambert-Smith and Dante Cephas to the portal last season. While those didn’t appear to be catastrophic losses at the time, the lack of talent on the outside has hamstrung Andy Kotelnicki’s offense in the biggest games of the season against Ohio State and Oregon. Drew Allar may head for the NFL, but if he does return, he’ll need more weapons, especially without Tyler Warren. 

Last year’s addition of Julian Fleming proved to be a bust as the Ohio State cast-off finished the season with only 14 catches for 176 yards and one touchdown. This time around, Franklin should add multiple proven commodities at the position to ensure it’s not a problem for the third consecutive year. Harrison Wallace III and Omari Evans will likely return, and freshman Tyseer Denmark will be ready for an expanded role as a redshirt freshman in 2025. However, that WR room still needs a bonafide WR1 who can reliably separate against the best defenses in the country. 

Cornerback:

When Kalen King, Daequan Hardy, and Johnny Dixon all left for professional football last offseason, Franklin was forced to scramble to replace them. He landed AJ Harris, who has been a star at outside corner, and Jalen Kimber, who has been serviceable in his final year of collegiate eligibility. Next season, Harris will be back as CB1, but the Nittany Lions need serious help in the secondary, especially after how Oregon’s Tez Johnson carved Tom Allen’s defense from the slot. 

Zion Tracy is capable of holding down a starting role at nickel, and Elliot Washington II has been effective in his reps at outside corner as a sophomore, but that group needs depth. This year, the passing defense suffered badly once Kevin Winston Jr. went down with an injury and Jaylen Reed was forced to move out of the slot and back to safety. 

Defensive line:

With James Franklin and defensive line coach Deion Barnes, Penn State has reliably produced quality edge rushers, but the depth of that talent will be tested this offseason. Dani Dennis-Sutton and Zane Durant will return, but Abdul Carter will head for the NFL, Dvon J-Thomas and Alonzo Ford Jr. Amin Vanover, and Coziah Izzard are all seniors. With all five of those players unlikely to return, Penn State will either need a full youth movement, especially on the interior of the defensive line or will need to add a few stop-gap players through the portal until players like Max Granville and Xavier Gilliam are prepared to be significant contributors. 

Franklin and Barnes should target one edge player and interior player to join Dennis-Sutton and Durant. 

Ideal Penn State transfer portal targets by position: 

WR: 

  • KC Concepcion, WR, NC State, 5’11” 189 lbs Eligibility: 2 yl
  • Dane Key, WR, Kentucky, 6’3” 210 lbs Eligibility: 1 yl
  • Micah Hudson, WR, Texas Tech, 6’0” 190 lbs Eligibility: 3 yl
  • Caleb Odom, WR, Alabama, 6’5” 227 lbs Eligiblity: 3 yl

CB: 

  • Julian Humphrey, CB, Georgia, 6’1” 195 lbs Eligibility: 2 yl
  • Ethan O’Connor, CB, Washington State, 6’1” 175 lbs Eligibility: 3 yl
  • Theran Johnson, CB, Northwestern, 5’11” 182 lbs 3 yl

DL: 

  • Princewill Umanmielen, EDGE, Nebraska, 6’5” 245 lbs Eligibility: 2 yl
  • Keeshawn Silver, DL, Kentucky, 6’4” 336 lbs Eligibility: 2 yl

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