It was just a couple of weeks ago when Penn State confirmed the departure of tight end [autotag]Mathias Barnwell[/autotag]. Now, Barnwell has confirmed he is officially entering the transfer portal, as was expected. Barnwell announced on his Twitter account on Monday evening he will be entering his name in the NCAA transfer portal database as he looks for the next step in his young college journey.
Barnwell spent one semester on Penn State’s campus after enrolling early in January with the Class of 2023. But as the summer got underway, Barnwell’s name was removed from the team’s official roster, and it was later confirmed he had left the program.
By entering the NCAA transfer portal database, Barnwell is free to communicate with any program interested in recruiting him. He will carry four years of eligibility with him after spending just one semester in college this past spring.
I am officially entering my name into the Transfer Portal, With 4 years of eligibility!
— Mega Barnwell (@mega_barnwell) June 20, 2023
Barnwell, a four-star recruit according to the 247Sports composite rankings in the Class of 2023, committed to Penn State over offers from Ohio State, Notre Dame, Tennessee, West Virginia, Oregon, and more.
Barnwell’s recruiting process included committing to Penn State twice with a de-commitment in the middle, but he ended up enrolling early to join the program this past spring. Recruited as an athlete who could play multiple positions, Penn State head coach James Franklin mentioned Barnwell would be utilized as a tight end.
Penn State’s tight end position group still looks to be in good shape for the upcoming season despite this loss on the roster. Theo Johnson and Tyler Warren each return and figure to be the top combo at the position following the NFL departure of Brenton Strange. The Nittany Lions also have younger options on the depth chart with redshirt sophomore Khalil Dinkins, redshirt freshman Jerry Cross, and freshman Joey Schlaffer.
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