Isaac Newton taught us that every action has an equal and opposite reaction, and the college football transfer portal is no different. So, when Penn State head coach James Franklin plucked two wide receivers, Kyron Hudson from USC and Devonte Ross from Troy, out of the portal this offseason he likely wasn’t surprised when it led to two departures from his logjammed roster.
On Monday, the penultimate day of the Nittany Lion’s five-day transfer portal window following their Orange Bowl College Football Playoff semifinal loss to Notre Dame, veteran wide receiver Tyler Johnson and converted safety Mehki Flowers departed the program.
While there have not yet been confirmed reports of transfer portal entries for either player, both were removed from the online roster on Monday morning and the exit of Johnson was confirmed by BlueWhiteIllustrated’s Nate Bauer.
Johnson, a 2022 three-star recruit, played just 78 offensive snaps across eight games in 2024, the first year he has seen the field since joining the Nittany Lions. Even amongst an underwhelming receiving corps that did not catch a single pass in the Orange Bowl, Johnson rarely saw playing time and is wise to search for it elsewhere if he intends to transfer.
Like Johnson, after making the switch from the defensive side of the ball last offseason, Flowers also struggled to see the field at wide receiver. The 2022 four-star safety from Harrisburg, PA flipped around to the offense, though saw only three snaps at receiver in 2024. All three snaps came in Penn State’s Week 1 win over West Virginia. Across his first two seasons in the program, Flowers played 41 total snaps at safety.
It appears notable because of Penn State’s lack of talent at wide receiver, but neither departure will be a significant loss for offensive coordinator Andy Kotelnicki or wide receivers coach Marques Hagans. However, Hagans’ inability to develop talented players at that position has become a trend since he took over the role in 2023.