Penn State earns commitment from transfer DT Derrick Tangelo
Penn State now has three additions from the transfer portal in the last month with the latest coming along the defensive line. Former Duke defensive tackle Derrick Tangelo will join the Nittany Lions’ defensive tackle group for next season. Tangelo announced his decision to join the program via his personal Twitter account Tuesday afternoon.
The 6-foot-2, 310-pound defensive tackle will help mitigate some of the losses the position has seen since the end of the season. Redshirt sophomore Judge Culpepper reportedly entered the transfer portal Dec. 23 and was joined by redshirt senior Antonio Shelton — who started at defensive tackle this season — later that same day.
Tangelo should provide an instant impact for Penn State in the 2021 season. He was a starter at Duke in 2020 after making 17 starts in the previous two seasons. In his final season as a Blue Devil, he tallied 40 total tackles, three forced fumbles and two sacks.
The newest Nittany Lion played his high school football at The Bullis School and hails from Gaithersburg, Maryland. He was a three-star recruit out of high school and did not hold an offer from Penn State as a recruit.
Although Tangelo was a senior this year, he still has one year of eligibility due to NCAA legislation that granted an extra year of eligibility for all athletes set to participate in the 2020 season.
He’s the third transfer to join the program since the season ended, alongside former Baylor running back John Lovett and former South Carolina defensive back John Dixon.
