Transfer portal tracker: Penn State football adds former five-star cornerback

The transfer portal officially opened Dec. 4 for all players in college football, and there has been plenty of movement in and out of the Penn State football program.

The portal was open until Jan. 2 for football, meaning players could enter during that time frame, but compliance departments had up to 48 hours to get the player entered into the portal. Additionally, players who played in New Year’s Six bowl games or College Football Playoff games have an additional five days after the game ends to enter the portal.

Graduate transfers may enter the portal at any time, and another window for other players to depart will open during the spring semester for 15 days from April 16-30.

Here are all of the Nittany Lions who have entered as of 11 a.m. Jan. 11, along with the players who have committed to Penn State. Check back for updates.

Outgoing

P Alex Bacchetta

Signed: 2022 3-star

Status: Committed to Rice

Notes: Alex Bacchetta joined Penn State as one of the top punters in the country but never gained traction and became the starter for the program. He redshirted in 2022 and Riley Thompson transferred in for the 2023 season, immediately taking the job and succeeding. Thompson, who is from Australia, could have more eligibility after being listed as a freshman in 2022 at FAU and then a senior at Penn State in 2023 due to his time at Haileybury College where he played Australian Rules Football. Bacchetta’s portal entry was first reported by 247Sports’ Tyler Donahue before the punter confirmed the news himself on Twitter.

WR Cristian Driver

Signed: 2022 4-star

Status: In the portal

Notes: Penn State head coach James Franklin coached former Green Bay Packers WR Donald Driver for a year in 2005 and it appears he’ll only coach his son at the position for the same amount of time. The Centre Daily Times confirmed that Cristian Driver entered the portal, as first reported by The Athletic’s Audrey Snyder, after two seasons with the Nittany Lions — with one at safety and one at wide receiver. He only registered one catch for eight yards this season, which came in the team’s blowout victory over Delaware in Week 2. He was unable to consistently crack the rotation in his lone season as a receiver.

WR Dante Cephas

Signed: 2023 transfer portal

Status: In the portal

Notes: Penn State needed receiver help heading into the 2023 season and got some from Dante Cephas, but he did not reach the standard that many expected in his one year with the program. Now, after transferring in from Kent State, Cephas is headed out for his final year of eligibility. His Penn State career ended quietly after it looked like he might be making progress. Cephas made 11 catches in his final three regular season games, matching his previous total, but then did not play during the Peach Bowl loss to Ole Miss.

OL Ibrahim Traore

Signed: 2020 3-star

Status: In the portal

Notes: Ibrahim Traore was no longer listed on the spring edition of the Penn State roster, bringing into question his status with the team. As of Tuesday morning, he is officially in the transfer portal according to a source with knowledge of the situation. Traore did not play in his first three seasons at Penn State and made his debut in the 2023 season. His entry into the portal should not impact the Nittany Lions’ offensive line rotation in 2024.

Incoming

K Chase Meyer

Committed: Dec. 17, 2023

Previous school: Tulsa

Notes: Penn State added a specialist on Dec. 17 to compete for the kicker job after Alex Felkins exhausts his eligibility with the Peach Bowl. Kicker Chase Meyer spent last season at Tulsa and will join the Nittany Lions to fight for the kicking job with Sander Sahaydak and Ryan Barker. Meyer made 17 of his 20 field goal attempts this season and 30 of his 31 extra points. His longest field goal of the season was a 47-yarder against Tulane.

WR Julian Fleming

Committed: Jan. 3, 2024

Previous school: Ohio State

Notes: Julian Fleming joins Penn State after initially spurning the Nittany Lions out of high school when he was a five-star recruit. The 6-foot-2, 210 pound receiver will come in and have a chance to compete right away for the Nittany Lions as a likely starter in 2024 — his final year of eligibility. Fleming struggled with injuries as a Buckeye but has been a productive player when he’s healthy. He amassed 79 catches for 963 yards and seven touchdowns over four seasons, including 34 receptions for 533 yards and six touchdowns in the 2022 season. The senior receiver is also an excellent blocker for the position and should be able to help out the Nittany Lions in the running game.

DL Jordan Mayer

Committed: Jan. 5, 2024

Previous school: Wisconsin

Notes: Jordan Mayer is a smaller addition than some of the others Penn State have made in the transfer portal, but could develop into a helpful rotation pass rusher down the road. The 6-foot-4, 235-pound defensive end was a three-star recruit in high school who played for Thomas Jefferson High School in Western Pennsylvania. He was a member of Wisconsin’s 2023 recruiting class but was not originally recruited to the school by current Badgers head coach Luke Fickell.

OT Nolan Rucci

Committed: Jan. 6, 2024

Previous school: Wisconsin

Notes: Nolan Rucci is another former five-star recruit who initially spurned Penn State before making his way back to his home state. Rucci should be at least a rotation player at offensive tackle with the Nittany Lions but will have a chance to start with both LT Olu Fashanu and RT Caedan Wallace moving on to the 2024 NFL Draft. The latest addition has the requisite height and length to play tackle at 6-foot-8, but could use some added weight onto his 300-pound frame. The Nittany Lions will need him to contribute over his remaining two years of eligibility.

CB A.J. Harris

Committed: Enrolled as of Jan. 11, 2024

Previous school: Georgia

Notes: A.J. Harris spent only one season with Georgia and has three years of eligibility remaining after joining the Bulldogs as a five-star recruit out of high school in the 2023 class. Harris was the No. 2 cornerback in the class and hailed from Alabama, with offers from Georgia, Alabama, LSU and most high profile programs across the country as a recruit. He will help the Nittany Lions replace its starting cornerbacks from the 2023 season, with outside corners Kalen King and Johnny Dixon departing, along with nickel cornerback Daequan Hardy. Cam Miller is expected to start at the position, with Zion Tracy and Elliot Washington II previously expected to compete for the other starting outside spot. The addition of Harris could put him in position to start opposite Miller if he can beat out Tracy and Washington in spring practice and fall camp.

CB Jalen Kimber

Committed: Jan. 11, 2024

Previous school: Florida

Notes: Jalen Kimber has spent the first four seasons of his career with two different SEC programs, first playing for Georgia from 2020-2021 before joining Florida for the 2022 and 2023 seasons. He played in only three games in the 2020 season — which did not count toward his eligibility clock because it was the COVID season — and played in one game in 2021 before an injury ended his season. Kimber then played in 13 games with the Gators in 2022 before becoming a starter in 2023, starting in 11 of 12 games. He originally committed to Louisville after entering the transfer portal before flipping to the Nittany Lions and should help a secondary that will be missing three starters from the 2023 team.