A Penn State Football 'Freak' Enters the Transfer Portal

Penn State defensive lineman Jordan van den Berg, whom Bruce Feldman named to his college football "Freaks List" in 2023, will enter the NCAA Transfer Portal and no longer is with the team. Van den Berg announced his decision Thursday night. He will enter the portal as a graduate transfer with two seasons of eligibility remaining.

Van den Berg played 11 games for the Nittany Lions last season in a reserve role, making 11 tackles and recovering a fumble against Maryland. Van den Berg was best known for landing at No. 15 on Feldman's "Freaks List" as one of Penn State's most athletic players. Last year he set a Penn State record in the squat, completing four reps at 615 pounds. Penn State coach James Franklin and strength coach Chuck Losey often praised van den Berg's freakish strength in workouts.

Van den Berg arrived at Penn State in 2021, continuing a unique football career that began with rugby. Originally from Johannesburg, van den Berg played rugby as a kid and didn't pick up American football until he was a high school sophomore in suburban Atlanta. Then he chose to play for a community college in Iowa and bet that a major program would find him. It worked.

During his one (spring) season at Iowa Western Community College, van den Berg was a junior college first-team All-American in 2021 and earned a summer workout with the Lions. After testing well, van den Berg received a scholarship offer on a Wednesday and was at Penn State the following Monday.

Van den Berg began his football career as a wide receiver, a reminder that he's fast for his size (he ran a 4.7 40-yard dash during spring testing in 2022). But he also has a physical streak that carried him to defense, where he played linebacker first. At Providence Christian, van den Berg set records for game, season and career tackles, making 157 during his senior season.

Still, his college offers were limited, so van den Berg relocated to Iowa Western. The program played an eight-game spring season in 2021, going 7-1 with four shutouts. Van den Berg's play drew notice from several Big Ten schools, including Iowa and Nebraska, but he quickly accepted Penn State's offer.

"I felt like this was a place where I could really trust the coaching staff," he said in a 2022 interview. "And I really liked their defense."