Tag: Mitchell Tinsley

Penn State loses transfer commitment to West Virginia

Penn State loses transfer commitment to 2023 opponent

After seemingly having a veteran with plenty of experience locked in through the transfer portal, Penn State is back on the prowl looking for some depth at wide receiver. [autotag]Devin Carter[/autotag], who had committed to Penn State out of the transfer portal, has flipped his commitment to West Virginia.

This did seemingly happen pretty quickly as Carter announced his commitment to Penn State within hours of watching the Nittany Lions win the Rose Bowl. But perhaps there was some writing on the wall as he was not formally introduced by Penn State as the new semester began this week.

The loss of Carter from the transfer portal stings, but Penn State was still being active in recruiting a receiver out of the portal and should be able to find someone to add to the program to help pad the depth after losing [autotag]Parker Washington[/autotag] and [autotag]Mitchell Tinsley[/autotag].

Carter will actually be scheduled to make his West Virginia debut in Beaver Stadium. He’ll be joined by former Penn State defensive lineman Fatmora Mulbah, who transferred from Penn State to West Virginia this week. Penn State opens the 2023 season on Saturday, September 2, 2023 at home against West Virginia in a revival of the old regional rivalry with the Mountaineers for the first time since before Penn State joined the Big Ten.

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Transfer portal helping Penn State plug roster for 2023

Penn State gets commitment form NC State transfer receiver Devin Carter.

After losing [autotag]Jahan Dotson[/autotag] a year early to the NFL draft a year ago, Penn State tapped into the transfer portal to add [autotag]Mitchell Tinsley[/autotag] from Western Kentucky to provide some much-needed stability and experience. Now, just as Penn State celebrated in blue and white confetti and rose petals after a Rose Bowl victory in Pasadena, the Nittany Lions have already taken advantage of the transfer portal to help boost the depth at receiver heading into 2023.

[autotag]Devin Carter[/autotag], a transfer wide receiver from NC State, announced on Twitter shortly after Penn State’s Rose Bowl victory over Utah that he had committed to Penn State. Carter will have one final year of eligibility after starting for the Wolfpack for four out of the last five years. If Penn State was looking for an experienced starter at receiver, they certainly found one in Carter.

Carter was NC State’s second-leading receiver in 2022 with 25 receptions for 406 yards with two touchdowns. Carter won’t be coming to Penn State with the same kind of offensive numbers Tinsley did when he arrived, but he should slide well into the offensive mix for an offense that will return [autotag]KeAndre Lambert-Smith[/autotag] and a dynamic young running back tandem with [autotag]Nick Singleton[/autotag] and [autotag]Kaytron Allen[/autotag] to go with quarterback [autotag]Drew Allar[/autotag].

Don’t expect that this is the final look Penn State will take in the transfer portal for help at receiver. There is still room for another receiving target out of the portal as Penn State looks to plug the few holes it appears to have on the roster heading into the 2023 season.

Just this week, Bowling Green wide receiver Tyrone Broden announced he has received an offer from Penn State as well. Could he be the next receiver to come to Penn State out of the transfer portal? For now, we simply wait for more updates.

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Penn State extends offer to Bowling Green transfer receiver

Penn State extends offer to transfer wide receiver

With the Rose Bowl celebration now in the rearview mirror, the work to fill the holes on Penn State’s roster in 2023 is once again in the spotlight. One of the areas of need for the team next year will be the wide receiver position after losing Parker Washington and [autotag]Mitchell Tinsley[/autotag], and it is one of the positions James Franklin said would be a focus moving forward after the early signing period.

And it appears Penn State has extended an offer to Bowling Green wide receiver Tyrone Broden. Broden announced on his Twitter account on Wednesday he received an offer from the Nittany Lions. This offer joins a number of other offers he has received since entering the NCAA’s transfer portal, including Colorado, Oklahoma State, Syracuse, and more.

Broden had 32 receptions for 506 yards and seven touchdowns for Bowling Green in 2022. In 2021, Broden had 36 receptions for 596 yards and five touchdowns. He would certainly be a veteran presence that Penn State could benefit from in 2023 with an offense that will be big on young stars at running back and quarterback and with room to grow at receiver.

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Report Card: Grading Penn State’s Rose Bowl win

The grades are in for Penn State’s performance in the Rose Bowl, and there are plenty of high marks to share!

There have been easy report cards to make this year in what turned into an impressive year for the Nittany Lions but this was easily the most complete performance this team had all year.

[autotag]James Franklin[/autotag] and his staff pulled out all the tricks in their book while having a game plan that was designed to be consistent on offense and to bend but not break on defense.

This is your final Penn State football report card of the 2022 season.

Quarterback

Credit: Jayne Kamin-Oncea-USA TODAY Sports

Grade: A+

[autotag]Sean Clifford[/autotag] played the game of his life and is going out as tied for the winningest quarterback in school history. He made a ton of big throws that he hadn’t made all year. So much so that the Utah defense couldn’t stack the box against the Penn State running game which ended up making the difference. Congrats on a perfect game and an amazing career Sean Clifford.

NEXT: Running backs

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It looks like Penn State won’t have many opt-outs for Rose Bowl

Penn State’s media day list reveals who is and is not opting out of the Rose Bowl.

As Penn State prepares for a trip to the Rose Bowl to face Pac-12 champion Utah, it is looking more and more as though the Nittany Lions will be mostly fully equipped. In an age of players opting out of the bowl season, Penn State’s list of players to be made available for its local media day suggests that won’t be a major issue for Penn State in Pasadena.

Other than cornerback [autotag]Joey Porter Jr.[/autotag] and wide receiver [autotag]Parker Washington[/autotag], who each declared for the NFL draft, Penn State’s media day roster has all of the players you would hope to play one final game for the program despite being eligible for the 2023 NFL draft. As noted by Lions247, that includes players like safety [autotag]Ji’Ayir Brown[/autotag], wide receiver [autotag]Mitchell Tinsley[/autotag], and defensive tackle [autotag]PJ Mustipher[/autotag].

Of course, this is not a guarantee that all draft-eligible players will actually play in the Rose Bowl. A player could opt out at any time, and that could still be possible for Penn State in the weeks leading up to the Rose Bowl for one reason or another. But for now, it looks like all systems are go for the most part.

Penn State faces Utah in the Rose Bowl on January 2, 2023. It will be the fourth New Years Six game for the program under head coach [autotag]James Franklin[/autotag].

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Could Penn State welcome back a former commit who is in the transfer portal?

Penn State could have a second chance to secure a commitment from this Oregon transfer portal receiver

Penn State went 2-0 against Auburn on the football field the past two seasons, and the Nittany Lions are hoping to score a recruiting victory against the Tigers with a wide receiver in the transfer portal. And this wide receiver is one Penn State is very familiar with.

Penn State and Auburn are believed to be the final two schools in the running for Dont’e Thornton, a wide receiver who entered the transfer portal this month from Oregon. Prior to his commitment to Oregon in the Class of 2021, Thornton was previously committed to Penn State as early as 2019. Thornton, a four-star wide receiver in 2019, committed to Penn State in February 2019 but backed off his commitment later that summer. In 2020, Oregon emerged as the favorite to land Thornton’s commitment.

The Baltimore native is coming off a season with a late breakthrough on the field with 17 catches for 366 yards and a touchdown. Interestingly, according to our friends at Ducks Wire, neither Penn State nor Auburn were among the top schools in Thornton’s final stages of the recruiting process. Yet, it is these two schools who appear to be the biggest players in his transfer portal recruitment.

247Sports has yet to record any predictions for Thornton’s transfer destination at this time, but the On3 prediction machine is heavily in favor of Auburn. According to On3’s prediction calculation,  Auburn has a 97.3% chance of securing Thornton’s transfer commitment. But it should be noted that figure could be heavily influenced by a recent official visit to Auburn’s campus last week.

Considering how many times Thornton visited Penn State during his high school recruiting process with unofficial visits, football camps, and official visits, the lack of visits to Penn State now should not be too concerning as he is likely extremely familiar with what Penn State’s campus is like both in and out of season. Those previous trips don’t weigh in on the current calculation from On3’s prediction machine.

Penn State is also believed to be active in the transfer portal with former West Virginia wide receiver [autotag]Kaden Prather[/autotag], another former recruiting target Penn State missed out on originally. Penn State has a need for wide receiver depth out of the transfer portal with [autotag]Parker Washington[/autotag] declaring for the NFL draft and [autotag]Mitchell Tinsley[/autotag] graduating. Tinsley was brought to the Penn State program for the 2022 season out of the transfer portal from Western Kentucky.

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Penn State has second chance at WVU transfer receiver

Transfer portal gives Penn State a second chance at recruiting this once coveted wide receiver

One of the great things about the transfer portal is it gives a program and a coaching staff a second chance to win a recruiting battle. With Penn State potentially in the market for a wide receiver in the transfer portal, the Nittany Lions could be among the teams expected to make a run at a wide receiver it lost out on in the recruiting process.

West Virginia wide receiver Kaden Prather announced he is entering the NCAA transfer portal to explore his options to continue his college football career. Prather was previously a top target for Penn State’s recruiting efforts out of high school in the Class of 2021. Despite being in the top five, Penn State missed out on Prather to the Mountaineers. Now, as Prather enters the transfer portal, Penn State could once again be back in the mix for the transfer wide receiver.

Penn State would seem to be a school that should be checking in with Prater. With [autotag]Parker Washington[/autotag] declaring for the NFL draft and [autotag]Mitchell Tinsley[/autotag] moving on after a full college career, the Nittany Lions could benefit from adding some experienced depth to the roster.

Prather had 52 catches for 501 yards and three touchdowns for West Virginia in 2022, good for the third-most receiving yards in the WVU offense this season. Prather’s entry to the transfer portal comes as West Virginia is also losing quarterback JT Daniels to the transfer portal as well.

If Prater’s previous recruiting experience is any indication, Penn State won’t be the only school hoping to take advantage of the second opportunity to recruit him to their program. Other schools in Prather’s top five before committing to West Virginia included Maryland, Oklahoma, and South Carolina.

Penn State adding Prather to the lineup would be a nice boost for the offense this offseason. It would also make for an interesting storyline going into next season’s opener. Penn State is set to open the 2023 season at home against West Virginia in Week 1.

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Penn State draft stock heading into Rose Bowl

Let’s take a look at where the draft stock stands for key Penn State prospects.

Penn State is headed to the Rose Bowl to take on Utah to ring in the new year. On top of that, they also have plenty of players to watch in terms of their draft stock.

Olu Fashanu made the shocking announcement last week that he will be returning to Penn State in 2023. Many had him in the top 10 on their big boards for the draft in the spring.

One notable name has opted out of the Rose Bowl game to prepare for the draft. That is Joey Porter Jr. At this point, it would be surprising to see him fall out of the first round.

However, Penn State still has a few notable prospects to watch for this game. It’s worth noting that Parker Washington is out for the season. But they still have guys like Ji’Ayir Brown and Mitchell Tinsley.

Let’s take a look at the draft stock of some key Penn State prospects.

PSU recruiting: Transfer receiver has Penn State in his top 5

If Penn State ios looking for a veteran transfer wide receiver, here’s one who has his eye on the Nittany Lions.

Penn State will be heading to the Rose Bowl to take on Utah to start off the new year. After that, it’s the offseason, and when it comes to the transfer portal, [autotag]James Franklin[/autotag] is no stranger to that.

The past two offseasons, the Nittany Lions have utilized the transfer portal and have found great benefits from it. Last season, they brought in Temple transfer defensive end [autotag]Arnold Ebiketie[/autotag], who went on to be a second-round draft pick to Atlanta Falcons in the 2022 draft.

This season, they brought in Maryland defensive lineman [autotag]Chop Robinson[/autotag], Western Kentucky wide receiver [autotag]Mitchell Tinsley[/autotag] and Cornell offensive lineman [autotag]Hunter Nourzad[/autotag].

As of right now, there is a player that has Penn State in the mix for his latest list of top schools.

We’re staying on the offensive side of the ball for another pass-catcher. South Florida wide receiver Jimmy Horn Jr. is down to four schools: Colorado, Penn State, Houston, and Texas A&M.

According to his social media posting, it appears Horn Jr. anticipates announcing his transfer decision on Christmas. It is worth a reminder the early signing period opens up on Dec. 21. And with Colorado making a major splash hire with Deion Sanders recently, the Buffs could suddenly be an attractive candidate for almost any transfer right now.

As mentioned, the Nittany Lions brought in Tinsley, who really started to find his groove in the offense throughout the second half of the season. He finished the regular season with 528 receiving yards and four touchdowns.

Horn Jr. finished this season with 551 receiving yards and three touchdowns. South Florida also hired their new head coach over the weekend in Tennessee offensive coordinator Alex Golesh.

With [autotag]Parker Washington[/autotag] and Tinsley potentially leaving for the draft, that leaves a receiver room full of youth. The next guy in line would be [autotag]KeAndre Lambert-Smith[/autotag]. But, if Penn State can add another veteran player to pair with him, that would be a big help for [autotag]Drew Allar[/autotag] in his first year starting at the collegiate level for the Nittany Lions.

There are already a few pass-catchers in the transfer portal, some of which could help the Nittany Lions quite a bit. Oregon wide receiver Donte Thornton Jr. is one of them, and USF receiver Jimmy Horn Jr. is another.

With players entering the transfer portal left and right, it will be interesting to see if Penn State brings in another pass-catcher. With the Nittany Lions in his top five, Horn Jr. is a key guy to watch for Penn State transfer portal players this offseason.

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Report Card: Grading Penn State’s win vs. Michigan State

The grades are in for Penn State’s performance against Michigan State in this week’s report card.

Despite it getting interesting towards the end, this was a thorough thrashing by the Nittany Lions against Michigan State. Not only did Penn State win impressively but they also won the Land Grant Trophy while also keeping Michigan State from becoming bowl eligible.

As for Penn State, they now will end the year with double-digit wins and as a top-ten team after starting the season unranked. Just as we alluded to before the season, [autotag]James Franklin[/autotag]’s teams do very well when they are underestimated.

For this game though, there were some highs and lows but overall this game should be seen as a easy scorecard.

Quarterback

Credit: Matthew OHaren-USA TODAY Sports

Grade: B-

[autotag]Sean Clifford[/autotag] looked like his usual self on Senior Night, in what could be considered his third one but we will let him have his moment. Anyhow, Clifford made some big time throws including a dicey deep ball for a touchdown to [autotag]Keandre Lambert-Smith[/autotag]. It was a nice way to cap off a long career for Clifford. He will now have a chance most likely on the stage of a New Years Six bowl to get Penn State one more big win.

NEXT: Running backs

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