Penn State Football Utah Utes quarterback Isaac Wilson (Mandatory Credit: Ron Chenoy-Imagn Images)

Penn State Football’s Top Transfer Portal Targets to Add Depth Behind Drew Allar

Originally posted on Nittany Central | By Daniel Fisher | Last updated Dec 16, 2024 7:01 PM ET

Monday morning, Penn State Football received the great news that quarterback Drew Allar will return for another season next year. Still, on Sunday night, the program received the horrible news that their backup quarterback, Beau Pribula, would hit the portal and not be part of the team during the College Football Playoff.

Even though Allar will be the Nittany Lions‘ signal caller in 2025, they should still bring in a transfer quarterback to be his backup just in case something happens.

Many young guys from different systems and teams can bring in the knowledge Penn State could be looking for.

Penn State won’t be able to grab a top-level starter since there will be no option for them to see the field unless Allar gets hurt, but they could grab a young guy who has seen some action and could sit a year and then come for the starting job in 2026.

Top Transfer Portal Quarterbacks Penn State Should Target

Utah QB Isaac Wilson

Utah freshman quarterback Isaac Wilson entered the portal last week. After seeing action in five games this past season, Penn State would be a nice place for him to sit for a season behind Allar, just like UCLA quarterback Dante Moore did by transferring to Oregon after starting as a freshman for the Bruins.

Wilson has some upside in his game, and if Allar were to miss a game or two next season, he could carry the load, but the young quarterback still needs a lot of work, which might be why the Nittany Lions won’t go after him.

Auburn QB Walker White

Auburn’s freshman Walker White could be another name to target; while White has hardly seen the field in college, he was one of the best quarterbacks coming to college this past season, ranked as the fifth-best quarterback in the 2024 class per 247sports.com

White probably needs another year to sit before seeing the field, but Penn State would be a great place to sit behind Allar for the season and take over the job in 2026.

Ohio State QB Air Noland

Another quarterback Penn State could try to get from the portal is Ohio State’s redshirt freshman Air Noland, who announced he was entering the portal on Monday afternoon.

Noland was part of the 2024 quarterback class and was supposed to be the Buckeyes’ number one quarterback out of the class. Still, Alabama’s Julian Sayin transferred out of the program when Nick Saban announced his retriment, making him Ohio State’s number one guy.

Noland has a lot of talent, and just like the two other quarterbacks on this list, he is very young, but a year at Penn State could turn him into a star.