A look at who’s come and who’s gone in the revolving door that is Penn State’s football roster
Penn State football is shifting its recruiting approach.
For years, the Nittany Lions haven’t made it a priority to bring in transfers. Sure, safeties Jaquan Brisker and Ji’Ayir Brown have been good additions to the roster from in-state Lackawanna College. But this offseason, for several reasons, head coach James Franklin and Co. are focusing on bringing in more players via the NCAA’s transfer portal who they believe can make immediate impacts.
“In the past, for us at Penn State, transfers were not a big part of our overall recruiting process,” Penn State’s director of player personnel Andy Frank said last month. “That will change. We’re not gonna make a full-time living in terms of all of our players are gonna come from the transfer portal, by any stretch of the imagination, … but we’re gonna be active in the transfer portal and we’re gonna be looking for guys that can help us fill gaps.”
It hasn’t even been a month since the Nittany Lions finished their 2020 season, but they’ve already been aggressive in bringing in transfers — adding four to next season’s roster.
A large part of the reason for this has been the losses of players Penn State has had this offseason. So far, eight players — five of which were starters — have already announced they will be moving on from the program, either as a result of graduation, entering the NFL draft or wanting to transfer.
Here’s a little bit more about the players who have left and those who have been added:
Departures
TE Pat Freiermuth (NFL Draft): Junior tight end Pat Freiermuth was the first Penn State player to announce his intention to forgo an extra year of eligibility and enter the NFL draft. He ended his Nittany Lions career as one of the best tight ends in school history. The 6-foot-5, 258-pound Merrimac, Massachusetts, native only played in four games this season before he underwent season-ending shoulder surgery. He finished the 2020 season with 23 receptions for 310 receiving yards and a touchdown en route to being named the Kwalick-Clark Big Ten Tight End of the Year. Freiermuth totaled 92 receptions for 1,185 receiving yards and 16 touchdowns (most all-time by a Penn State tight end) for his career.
With the loss of Freiermuth — a projected early-round draft pick — the Nittany Lions will turn to redshirt freshman tight end Brenton Strange and freshman tight end Theo Johnson for production.
DE Shane Simmons (Graduation): Redshirt senior defensive end Shane Simmons announced two days after Penn State’s season ended that he would forgo an additional year of eligibility granted by the NCAA to pursue his “passion in the business world.” Simmons arrived at Penn State as a four-star prospect and the No. 41 overall recruit in the Class of 2016, according to 247Sports, but injuries plagued him early in his career. The 6-foot-3, 247-pound Laurel, Maryland, native started in place of redshirt sophomore defensive end Jayson Oweh (out with an undisclosed injury) the final two games of the Nittany Lions’ season. He finished the 2020 season with 16 total tackles, four tackles for a loss, three sacks and one pass defended. Simmons totaled 59 total tackles, 10.5 tackles for a loss, four sacks and one pass defended for his career.
The loss of Simmons especially hurts with Oweh and redshirt senior defensive end Shaka Toney choosing to enter the NFL draft. Penn State will now have to turn to sophomore defensive end Adisa Isaac and Temple graduate transfer defensive Arnold Ebiketie for production at the position.
DT Judge Culpepper (Transfer): Redshirt sophomore defensive tackle Judge Culpepper entered the transfer portal just days after Penn State’s season ended. Culpepper played in all 13 games in 2019 (mostly on special teams) and in all nine games in 2020. The 6-foot-4, 291-pound Tampa, Florida, native finished the 2020 season with five tackles and 0.5 sacks. Culpepper totaled seven total tackles, one tackle for a loss and one sack for his career. A former three-star recruit, Culpepper was low on the depth chart in a fairly deep rotation of defensive tackles for the Nittany Lions.
The loss of Culpepper — who announced on Thursday that he’ll transfer to Toledo — won’t have much of an immediate impact for Penn State on the field next season. His absence does hurt the Nittany Lions’ depth at defensive tackle, though.
DT Antonio Shelton (Transfer): Redshirt senior defensive tackle Antonio Shelton’s decision to enter the transfer portal is Penn State’s most surprising loss so far this offseason. Shelton — who announced he’d move on from the program just hours after Culpepper — was a two-year starter for the Nittany Lions. The 6-foot-2, 327-pound Columbus, Ohio, native finished the 2020 season with 14 total tackles, 4.5 tackles for a loss, 3.5 sacks, one forced fumble and one pass defended. Shelton totaled 51 total tackles, 12.5 tackles for a loss, six sacks, one forced fumble and one pass defended for his Penn State career.
Shelton — who announced on Wednesday that he’ll transfer to Florida — should be replaced by Duke transfer defensive tackle Derrick Tangelo.
DE Jayson Oweh (NFL Draft): Redshirt sophomore defensive end Jayson Oweh was the second Penn State player to declare for the NFL draft this offseason. Though he didn’t start consistently until the 2020 season, Oweh’s athleticism and potential should entice NFL teams. The 6-foot-5, 252-pound Howell, New Jersey, native started seven games in 2020 before being sidelined with an undisclosed injury. Oweh finished the 2020 season with 38 total tackles, 6.5 tackles for a loss and one pass defended. For his career, he totaled 63 total tackles, 13.5 tackles for a loss and two passes defended.
With the loss of Oweh — a projected early-round draft pick — the Nittany Lions will turn to Isaac and Ebiketie for production at the position.
DE Shaka Toney (NFL Draft): Redshirt senior defensive end Shaka Toney’s decision to enter the NFL draft marked the third Penn State starting defensive lineman to announce that he won’t be back next season. He put together an impressive season en route to being named a first-team All-Big Ten selection by the conference’s coaches and the media. The 6-foot-3, 252-pound Philadelphia native finished the 2020 season with 31 total tackles, 7.5 tackles for a loss, five sacks, one pass defended and one forced fumble. Toney totaled 115 total tackles, 29.5 tackles for a loss, 19.5 sacks, four passes defended, four forced fumbles and one fumble recovery for his career.
With the loss of Toney, the Nittany Lions will turn to Isaac and Ebiketie for production at the position.
OL Will Fries (NFL Draft): Redshirt senior offensive lineman Will Fries was yet another Penn State senior to announce he wouldn’t use an extra year of eligibility and will instead prepare for the NFL draft. He ended his career with the Nittany Lions by starting 30 consecutive games. The 6-foot-6, 306-pound Cranford, New Jersey, native provided consistency in 2020 for an offensive line that gave up 20 sacks during the team’s 0-5 start before surrendering just eight in the team’s final four games.
With the loss of Fries, the Nittany Lions will turn to younger players like redshirt freshman offensive lineman Caedan Wallace and redshirt sophomore offensive lineman Juice Scruggs for production.
OL C.J. Thorpe (Transfer): Redshirt junior offensive lineman C.J. Thorpe’s decision to enter the transfer portal marked the second Penn State offensive lineman to announce that he won’t be back next season. Thorpe, who briefly played on the defensive line as a redshirt freshman in 2018, is entering the portal as a defensive lineman. The 6-foot-3, 313-pound Glenshaw native appeared in all 13 games in 2019 and made five starts at right guard, but he only played in six of Penn State’s nine games in 2020 and made three starts.
With the loss of Thorpe, the Nittany Lions will turn to younger players like Wallace and Scruggs for production on the offensive line.
Transfer arrivals
RB John Lovett (Baylor): The addition of Baylor graduate transfer running back John Lovett is the most surprising roster addition Penn State has made this offseason, considering the fact that the Nittany Lions’ running back room is already crowded. Due to injury, Lovett only played in five games in 2020 and tallied 130 rushing yards and a touchdown on 45 carries. The former three-star recruit — who totaled 1,803 rushing yards and 17 touchdowns on 355 carries in four seasons with the Bears — joins sophomore running back Noah Cain, sophomore running back Devyn Ford, freshman running Keyvone Lee and freshman running back Caziah Holmes.
Still, the 6-foot, 212-pound Burlington, New Jersey, native will add a veteran presence to the group and be a player who can contribute right away if necessary.
CB John Dixon (South Carolina): Franklin said he wanted to bring in transfers to create competition, and that’s exactly what Penn State is doing by adding South Carolina transfer cornerback John Dixon to the roster. Dixon played in all 10 games and started in eight for the Gamecocks in 2020. The former three-star recruit tallied 34 total tackles, five passes defended and one fumble recovery in the 2020 season. For his career, Dixon totaled 37 total tackles, one tackle for a loss, five passes defended, one interception and one fumble recovery over two seasons.
The 6-foot, 185-pound Tampa, Florida, native will likely compete with the Nittany Lions’ younger cornerbacks in redshirt freshman Joey Porter Jr., sophomore Keaton Ellis and sophomore Marquis Wilson for a starting spot alongside senior cornerback Tariq Castro-Fields (who announced his return last week).
DT Derrick Tangelo (Duke): Bringing in a three-year Power 5 starter in Duke transfer defensive tackle Derrick Tangelo is a great way to fill the hole left behind by Shelton’s departure. The former three-star recruit tallied 38 total tackles, four tackles for a loss, two sacks, one pass defended, three forced fumbles and one fumble recovery for the Blue Devils in 2020. For his career, Tangelo totaled 113 total tackles, 12.5 tackles for a loss, 4.5 sacks, one pass defended, five forced fumbles and one fumble recovery.
The 6-foot-2, 310-pound Gaithersburg, Maryland, native should likely start next to junior defensive tackle P.J. Mustipher on the Nittany Lions’ defensive line next fall.
DE Arnold Ebiketie (Temple): With the losses of two starters at defensive end in Oweh and Toney, Penn State will look for Temple graduate transfer defensive end Arnold Ebiketie to help fill that void. The former three-star recruit tallied 42 total tackles, 8.5 tackles for a loss, four sacks, three forced fumbles and one fumble recovery touchdown for the Owls in 2020 en route to being an All-AAC second-team selection. For his career, Ebiketie totaled 58 total tackles, 10.5 tackles for a loss, six sacks, three forced fumbles and one fumble recovery touchdown.
The 6-foot-4, 235-pound Silver Spring, Maryland, native should likely start at one of the Nittany Lions’ open starting defensive end spots next season.
