Penn State surprisingly in the mix for former five-star defensive lineman in the transfer portal

Last offseason, Penn State only landed six players in the transfer portal and none were particularly splashy additions. Georgia cornerback A.J. Harris has turned into an underrated start on Tom Allen’s defense, and Wisconsin offensive tackle Nolan Rucci was huge in relief of the injured Anthony Donkoh down the stretch, but neither turned heads with their decisions to head for Happy Valley. Now, this offseason, Franklin has vowed that he and his staff will be aggressive in the portal and that seems to be the case. 

On Monday, the first day that the transfer portal officially opened, former Georgia and USC defensive lineman and five-star recruit Bear Alexander announced that he is lining up visits to Oregon and Penn State while SMU, Texas, Colorado, and Georgia loom as his other potential landing spots. 

The former five-star officially entered the portal when it opened on Monday, but he announced his intention to transfer back in September after USC’s Week 4 loss to Michigan. Alexander opted out of the season after just three games to preserve his redshirt and now has two years of eligibility remaining. 

Despite being a highly-touted prospect, Alexander was relatively underwhelming at Georgia as a true freshman in 2022, and transferred to join Lincoln Riley at USC to avoid the logjam along the defensive line in Athens. The 6-foot-3 315-pound interior defensive lineman recorded 1.5 sacks and 6.5 tackles for loss across 660 snaps in 2023 with 32 quarterback pressures and a 9.7% pass-rush win rate. 

The Nittany Lions typically have depth along the defensive line, but this offseason, it has become a position of need with Coziah Izzard, Dvon J-Thomas, Alonzo Ford Jr., and edge rushers Amin Vanover, and Abdul Carter all likely to leave either for the NFL or graduation. Alexander would fit nicely next to junior Zane Durant, who despite being slightly undersized, has been a relentless pass-rusher and a disruptive force in the run game. 

Franklin has never used the portal as his primary means of talent acquisition, so his comments on Sunday were a bit of a surprise. But apparently, he’s walking the walk because nothing says aggressiveness like scheduling a visit with Bear Alexander, who will command a high price in the NIL market.

Penn State has learned this season, as in the past few, that it is not on the level of teams like Oregon and Ohio State, two of the biggest spenders and most aggressive portal teams. To wade in those waters during the season, Franklin needs to operate like those programs in the offseason, so his interest in Alexander, whether he lands one of the biggest portal prizes of the offseason or not, should be exciting for a championship-starved fanbase.