Penn State transfer portal tracker: Former top-100 recruit enters portal near deadline
The transfer portal may have officially closed April 30 for football but, because compliance departments have up to 48 hours to get the player entered into the portal, news continued to trickle out this week about potential Penn State transfers.
By Thursday afternoon, four more Penn State players entered the portal, a source confirmed to the CDT. The news was first reported by 247 Sports.
Those new portal entries include DB King Mack, OL Golden Israel-Achumba, WR Malik McClain and RB London Montgomery. Mack is widely regarded as the biggest potential loss of the four.
Here’s what we know so far:
Outgoing
DB King Mack
Signed: 2023 4-star
Status: In transfer portal / TBD
Notes: Mack wasn’t in line to crack the starting lineup as a true sophomore this season, but the former top-100 recruit was still looked upon as a future starter and solid contributor. He played in all 13 games as a true freshman, mostly on special teams, and finished his rookie campaign with three tackles and a QB hurry. He was in the portal by Thursday afternoon, according to a source.
WR Malik McClain
Signed: 2023 transfer
Status: In transfer portal/ TBD
Notes: He initially played with Florida State for two seasons as a former four-star recruit, before transferring to Penn State prior to the 2023 season. He primarily contributed on special teams for the Nittany Lions and appeared in all 13 games. He finished the year with six catches for 71 yards and a touchdown, but was also twice named the PSU coaching staff’s Special Teams Player of the Week. He was not in line for serious time at receiver in 2024.
RB London Montgomery
Signed: 2023 3-star
Status: In transfer portal / TBD
Notes: Montgomery redshirted this past season after suffering a torn ACL in 2022, when he was a high school senior. But, as a high school junior, he rushed for 2,356 yards and 36 touchdowns at Scranton Prep. Still, given Penn State’s recent recruiting at the position, this move wasn’t a huge surprise. He was once named the PSU coaching staff’s Developmental Squad Offensive Player of the Week.
OL Golden Israel-Achumba
Signed: 2020 3-star
Status: In the portal / TBD
Notes: The 6-foot-4, 332-pound Maryland native developed into a special teams contributor but, even as a fifth-year senior this year, there was no guarantee he was going to crack the two-deep along the offensive line. Israel-Achumba played in just four games his first three seasons — one of which was a redshirt season — before playing 12 games last year on special teams. Last season, he was four times named the coaching staff’s Developmental Squad Offensive Player of the Week.
WR KeAndre Lambert-Smith
Signed: 2020 4-star
Status: Committed to Auburn
Notes: Lambert-Smith was the team’s top receiver in 2023 and had a chance for a quality season under offensive coordinator Andy Kotelnicki as the primary slot option. Instead he looked for a new home while being widely regarded as one of the the top receivers available in the portal. Without Lambert-Smtih, players like Kaden Saunders and Liam Clifford will likely have to step up in the slot.
WR Malick Meiga
Signed: 2020 3-star
Status: In transfer portal / TBD
Notes: Meiga is the second receiver to enter the portal for the Nittany Lions, joining Lambert-Smith as members of the 2020 class to go in. He did his best work for Penn State on special teams, where he has been one of the team’s top players in recent years. However, he struggled to catch on at receiver and leaves the program with nine catches for 106 yards and a touchdown.
DT Davon Townley Jr.
Signed: 2021 4-star
Status: In transfer portal / TBD
Notes: Townley is in the portal for a second time after entering following the 2022 season before deciding to return. He made the move to defensive tackle after beginning his career at defensive end but failed to crack the team’s rotation at either spot in his three seasons at Penn State.
This story was originally published April 15, 2024 at 2:28 PM.
