Penn State’s secondary is going to look a whole lot different in 2024-25 after they lost three of their starting cornerbacks to the NFL draft.
There will be internal candidates who get opportunities to replace the departures, but [autotag]James Franklin[/autotag] and his staff recognized the unit might be a bit thin if they don’t hit the transfer portal for immediate help.
They were able to get some very high-profile names by landing two players leaving SEC schools.
[autotag]A.J. Harris[/autotag] and [autotag]Jalen Kimber[/autotag] were major additions for the Nittany Lions after they decided to leave Georgia and Florida.
Early returns from both players have been positive with Kimber likely factoring in for playing time more this season because of his age and experience, but that’s not stopping the hype from building around Harris.
The former five-star recruit and No. 2 cornerback in his class decided to transfer to Penn State after doing tons of research on the team and program.
“When we got on the phone with him, he had done his homework. He knew our roster. He knew the coaches. He had watched our film, studied our film, looked at the data, where we were ranked, how we played defense,” Franklin said according to Daniel Gallen of 247Sports.
While that impressed the coaching staff, Harris is also turning heads of his teammates with his play on the field.
“I feel like, personally, A.J. Harris is one of them ones, you know? I feel like A.J. Harris, he’s a stud, man. He’s a great player,” safety [autotag]Jaylen Reed[/autotag] told Gallen. “Just the way he plays the game of football and … his preparation is insane.”
That is about as good of news as the Nittany Lions could have hoped for when landing the former coveted recruit.
Harris will be part of Penn State for the next couple years based on eligibility remaining, and he could become an important part of this secondary.
There’s a chance he could even factor in during this upcoming season.
“I feel like he’s gonna do great things for us this year,” Reed added.
It will be interesting to see how everything sits coming out of spring practice, but the feedback on Harris has been great so far and it looks like the Nittany Lions might have found themselves a gem in the portal.