Tag: Alex Bacchetta

Penn State football transfer portal tracker

The transfer portal is open. Stay on top of every Penn State transfer coming and going with our updated tracker.

It’s the most wonderful time of the year. Sure, the holiday season is in full swing, but the transfer portal for college football is officially open, and Penn State will once again look to be active in the portal activity in an attempt to bolster a couple of positions in need of improvement.

Of course, a number of players on the football roster will take this opportunity to explore some other opportunities to find a new environment that will allow them to embrace a fresh start, pursue more playing time with another program, or simply just move closer to home.

The first day of the transfer portal being open led to a couple of Penn State players entering their names in the transfer portal. And we are ready to keep track of all of the transfer portal activity this month.

The transfer portal opened on Dec. 4, 2023 and closes on Jan. 2, 2024. Here is a look at the latest developments with the portal and Penn State with a review of what players are currently in the transfer portal, who has committed elsewhere, and what players are coming to Penn State out of the portal.

Penn State players in transfer portal: 3

Penn State players who have committed elsewhere from the portal: 4

Players coming to Penn State from the transfer portal: 6

Son of former Green Bay Packer star enters the transfer portal

Penn State freshman wide receiver enters the portal after switching positions from cornerback.

The transfer portal opened with a bang on Monday morning, and Penn State saw two early morning entrants. Along with punter Alex Bacchetta, wide receiver [autotag]Cristian Driver[/autotag] has entered the portal. Driver is the son of former Packer legend Donald Driver and came to Penn State as a four-star safety in the Class of 2022.

Driver is a redshirt freshman who appeared in four games for the Nittany Lions this year after switching over from cornerback last winter. Driver caught one pass for eight yards and recorded a couple of special teams tackles in his four games this season. Driver committed to Penn State over Wisconsin and was the No. 31 safety in his class, according to 247Sports.

The receiver group remains one that is in desperate need of an upgrade. A new offensive coordinator was the first step in that process. The Nittany Lions have also hit the portal hard at the position offering Ja’Mori Maclin out of North Texas. It will be a position group to watch this month as more players enter the portal

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Penn State punter enters the transfer portal

Penn State specialist enters the portal with three years of eligibility remaining

With the ever-expanding transfer portal opening on Monday morning, there was no shortage of news about many players opting to leave their current programs. For Penn State, that news began with special teams and redshirt freshman punter [autotag]Alex Bacchetta[/autotag] announcing he was entering the portal. He will have three years of eligibility remaining.

Bacchetta was a redshirt last fall and served as the backup to FAU transfer Riley Thompson. He appeared in only two games during his two-year career at Penn State. The Australian played his senior season last year, so it is unclear whether he would have more eligibility, but Bacchetta’s portal entry seems to point in that direction.

Bacchetta is a Georgia high school product who was a three-time all-state selection at the 3A level and was the third-ranked punter in the Class of 2022. Before deciding on Penn State, he had offers from Arkansas and Virginia.

If Thompson does not gain more eligibility after playing Australian rules football at a college level, Penn State will be in the market for a new punter.

The transfer portal will close on January 2, 2024.

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2023 Penn State football snapshot profile: No. 96 Alex Bacchetta

A snapshot look at what to expect from Penn State’s second-year punter Alex Bacchetta in 2023.

Going into the 2023 football season, Nittany Lions Wire will be looking at each scholarship player listed on the Penn State roster. Over the preseason, each profile will cover where the player is from, how recruiting websites rated them coming out of high school, and what role they will play for James Franklin this season.

Next up is a look at one of Penn State’s top punters on the roster, [autotag]Alex Bacchetta[/autotag]. The former top punting prospect is hoping to create a role this season for the Nittany Lions, and he should be given some opportunities to show off his leg power on special teams. But will he be the main punter on the roster? That remains to be determined. Here is a snapshot look at one of Penn State’s top punting options on the roster heading into the 2023 season.

Top 5 position battles heading into Penn State’s spring practices

These position battles will be heating up when Penn State opens spring football practices.

Penn State football is in a very good position overall with the way that James Franklin has this team constructed. Of course, there are a few positions that need to be sorted out still.

The position battles going on this spring will be what solidify the starting lineup. The team is very deep and whoever loses these battles shouldn’t be seen as someone not of the quality you expect from Penn State. Rather, it will speak volumes as to what the starters should be seen as which is top-level quality players.

Here are the top five position battles to monitor this spring.

Penn State adds FAU punter from transfer portal

Penn State adds a punter from the transfer portal

Penn State is expecting a big week with the opening of the early signing period on the college football recruiting calendar, but the Nittany Lions added to the program with an addition from the transfer portal on Saturday. Punter [autotag]Riley Thompson[/autotag] announced on his Twitter account on Saturday he has committed to Penn State and will join the program in 2023.

The Australian native kicker will have one final year of eligibility left to use at Penn State despite being listed as a freshman on FAU’s roster in the 2022 season. That is because his eligibility actually started in Australia before moving to FAU.

Thompson will be a top candidate to handle Penn State’s punting duties in 2023 after losing [autotag]Barney Amor[/autotag], who proved to be a reliable asset following [autotag]Jordan Stout[/autotag]. Penn State has one of the top punters in the Class of 2022 with [autotag]Alex Bacchetta[/autotag] to look forward to as well, but Thompson is coming off a solid season at FAU.

Thompson had the 10th-best punting average this season with an average of 45.75 yards per punt according to CFBstats.com.

The early signing period officially opens on Wednesday, December 21 and closes on Friday, December 23.

Penn State will face Pac-12 champion Utah in the Rose Bowl on January 2, 2023.

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Penn State reveals new uniform numbers for new and returning players

Penn State revealed updated uniform numbers for some new members of the program and three returning players

Penn State officially welcomes some of its newest members f the program to campus recently as the academic calendar moves from the spring semester to the summer. So naturally, that led to some players getting their first jersey numbers with the football program.

On Monday, Penn State revealed the uniform numbers for its newest members joining from the transfer portal or the Class of 2023.

Here are the numbers six new players will be wearing with the Nittany Lions in 2022;

  • 5 – [autotag]Cam Miller[/autotag], cornerback
  • 8 – [autotag]Tyler Johnson[/autotag], wide receiver
  • 13 – [autotag]Christian Driver[/autotag], safety
  • 64 – [autotag]Hunter Nourzad[/autotag], offensive lineman
  • 66 – [autotag]Drew Shelton[/autotag], offensive tackle
  • 97 – [autotag]Alex Bacchetta[/autotag], punter

Penn State still has some uniform numbers to distribute as a few more additions will be joining the program later this summer as well. In addition to these new numbers for new players, Penn State also updated the uniform numbers for three returning players.

Quarterback [autotag]Christain Veilleux[/autotag] is now wearing No. 11, [autotag]KeAndre Lambert-Smith[/autotag] is wearing No. 1, and offensive lineman [autotag]Nick Dawkins[/autotag] will wear No. 53, the number his father Daryll Dawkins wore in the NBA.

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Blue-White Game Report Card: Grading Penn State’s spring football game

The grades are in for Penn State’s performance in the Blue-White Game.

Penn State’s spring game wasn’t exactly lighting up the scoreboard, even in a modified scoring system. And fans wanting to see drastic improvement from the program that has gone .500 over the past two seasons may be left wondering if Penn State is set up for another mediocre season in Happy Valley after watching the Blue-White Game. But Penn State’s final spring practice of the year had some positive developments and some reminders that help is on the way over the summer.

And now the grades are in for Penn State’s performance during the Blue-White Game. Here’s how each position group was graded for the spring game in Beaver Stadium on Saturday.

Quarterback: C

Matthew OHaren-USA TODAY Sports

A recurring theme when it comes to the offensive grades following Penn State’s game is probably chalked up to a simple “Eh, it could have been better.” That was the basic takeaway from the performance of the quarterbacks overall, but any expectation of any passer just lighting up the spring game may have been unreasonable.

We were never likely to see a whole lot out of [autotag]Sean Clifford[/autotag], the sixth-year senior who really has little more to prove at this point. We know pretty much exactly what Clifford is, and if given time to process the field, he can make plays. But he had some overthrown passes at times. He did, however, throw the game’s only touchdown of the game.

The backup competition behind Clifford is the real storyline here, and the future of [autotag]Drew Allar[/autotag] is what fans are eager to witness. But a rough spring debut for the true freshman shows there is still work to be done in the big picture. If based solely on one afternoon, [autotag]Christian Veilleux[/autotag] proved he should be the team’s primary backup option heading into the season, although Allar should improve quickly.

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Next: Grading the running backs

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Recruiting Update: 2023 players on the radar

James Franklin is working the recruiting trail hard with a look ahead to the Class of 2023

As we enter draft season, James Franklin and the rest of the coaching staff have kept themselves busy during the offseason.

On top of that, there are a few players to keep an eye on in the coming months. To start, Franklin and the staff spent the week traveling to the houses of future Nittany Lions.

One of those players was three-star punter Alex Bacchetta, who, with Jordan Stout leaving, has the talent to come in and compete and work behind Jake Pinegar for a year before he departs.

Next, a player to keep an eye on is Top-100 and 2023 Georgia quarterback Dylan Lonergan. It’s worth noting that the Georgia Bulldogs have moved up in Lonergan’s list of teams.

Lonergan currently has multiple offers from across the NCAA, including Alabama, Georgia, Penn State and another Big Ten school in Ohio State.

Another player to keep an eye on is 2023 four-star receiver in Christian Hamilton, who has Penn State in his top 12.

Purdue is the only other Big Ten school on his list, but other notable schools that will be tough are Georgia, Texas A&M and his home state of North Carolina.

Hamilton can be a deep ball threat, but one trait that stands out is his speed after the catch. Not only does he have impressive hands, but can be a tough-to-catch receiver at times.

As a route-runner, Hamilton does a terrific job creating separation with his defenders, especially with his deep fly routes.

Hamilton would be a big get for Penn State, as they continue to add to their young wide receiver room.

The last player to watch is 2023 five-star cornerback from Lakeland, Florida in Cormani McClain.

McClain is the top cornerback recruit in his class, and would be a massive addition to the Nittany Lions defense.

He currently has two Crystal Ball predictions; one to Florida and the other to Florida State.

It is fairly early in McClain’s recruiting process, but he currently has multiple offers from across the country. Penn State will have tough schools to compete against, including Georgia, Alabama, LSU and Ohio State.

It’s been a busy week for the coaching staff, and there are several players for the Nittany Lions to keep on their radar. If they can manage to beat out other notable schools for some of these players, that will be a huge win for Penn State’s 2023 recruiting class.

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Video highlights of each member of Penn State football’s Class of 2022

WATCH: Video highlights of each Penn State Class of 2022 player

Penn State locked in its Class of 2022 at the start of the NCAA’s early signing period, and with it comes a bunch of buzz for the future of the Nittany Lions under the leadership of head coach James Franklin. But chances are most of you are unfamiliar with what any of these new faces will bring to the table for Penn State. So it’s a good thing Penn State served up some highlight packages to give fans a quick glimpse of the kind of talent that is joining the program.

Enjoy this collection of video highlights of Penn State’s newest additions in the Class of 2022.