Penn State Football: Tracking the Nittany Lions' Transfer Portal Moves

Spring transfer season has arrived, as the NCAA Transfer Portal opened April 16 for 10 hectic days. Penn State football coach James Franklin said he wants a "no-surprises" stretch until the Blue-White Game on April 26, but there's bound to be at least one.

Tag along here as we track the Nittany Lions' moves and what they mean.

Two defensive players enter the portal

The first scholarship defensive players to make their decisions public after the portal opened were linebacker Ta'Mere Robinson and cornerback Jon Mitchell. Here's a look at each.

Ta'Mere Robinson: The redshirt freshman from Pittsburgh was a bit of a portal surprise, considering that Franklin said recently that the linebacker was "trending in the right direction" after some early career injuries.

"As much as anything, it's his confidence in being able to just go out there and play and not think about the injuries that he's had in the past," Franklin said. "He's playing very well right now, but we're going to need to continue that all summer and then into the season."

Robinson plays a delicate position in Penn State's defense. The Lions plan to run a 4-2-5 base defense next season, which will require fewer linebackers, but depth at the position is sparse. Penn State will rely on Tony Rojas, who has been in injury recovery this spring, and senior Dom DeLuca as the starters.

But after them, the Nittany Lions will look toward untested players such as Keon Wylie, Anthony Speca and DaKaari Nelson. That's what made Robinson an appealing talent this spring, notably because he was getting many of Rojas' reps. Still, Robinson likely saw that he wasn't going to start and chose to transfer.

Jon Mitchell: The sophomore cornerback played in six games last season, largely on special teams, though he did get 21 defensive snaps against Purdue. Mitchell is from Florida, which might have had something to do with his decision to enter the portal. Penn State has depth at cornerback, which also likely impacted Mitchell's choice.

Offensive lineman JB Nelson enters the portal

Nelson made his decision official after it was first reported by On3. The sixth-year lineman, who spent two seasons at Lackawanna College before transferring to Penn State, would have been a significant player on the Nittany Lions' line. He started eight games in 2023 and played a bunch of rotation snaps at guard and tackle last season.

Nelson is a valuable player. He's a plug-and-play lineman who can swing across the line and perform reliably. However, Penn State's starting line largely was set at four positions, with the right guard spot up for grabs this spring. With sophomore Cooper Cousins taking the lead there, Nelson looked for a starting opportunity elsewhere.

Penn State will host the Blue-White Game on April 26 at Beaver Stadium.