ALTOONA, Pa. -- The glass-half-full approach would suggest that Penn State has picked up two really good players in the transfer portal so far, two guys who could fill big needs this fall.
But the glass-half-empty approach would point out something else -- that the Nittany Lions might have missed the boat in the portal this year because those are the only two players they've landed thus far. And having just two commits on board leaves the program with quite the eyesore in one area.
As of now, Penn State stands just 74th in the 247Sports transfer portal rankings. That's after the zaniness of the January moving period and before more movement is expected to take place around the country during and after spring ball.
One bit of good news is that the Lions haven't really suffered any huge losses to the transfer portal. Nine players have entered the portal, and running back Noah Cain was the only big-name guy who departed (for LSU). That was pretty much expected, by the way, and isn't a major blow given Cain's disappointing performance in 2021 and the arrival of superstar recruit Nick Singleton.
But again, the good news of not suffering any major damage from guys leaving is tempered with the fact that Penn State has only two transfers coming in. These are the two, by the way:
* WR Mitchell Tinsley (6-0, 180): This was a big get for Penn State, as Tinsley caught 87 passes for 1,402 yards and 14 TDs for pass-happy Western Kentucky last season. He should be able to step right in and be a major factor, helping projected No. 1 receiver Parker Washington to fill the void of losing standout Jahan Dotson.
* OL Hunter Nourzad (6-4, 298): He was a standout at Cornell, and I don't have to tell anyone how badly Penn State could use an experienced offensive lineman. It's a big step up in competition for him, so it will be interesting to see how quickly he can adjust at Penn State.
And these are the players, aside from Cain, who have entered the portal:
* CB A.J. Lytton (undecided)
* WR Justin Weller (undecided)
* DL Joseph Appiah Darkwa (Temple)
* WR Norval Black (undecided)
* QB Ta'Quan Roberson (UConn)
* OL Des Holmes (Arizona State)
* S Enzo Jennings (undecided)
* S Tyler Rudolph (Temple)
OK, there's the snapshot of who all has left and who's coming in.
So, what does it all mean? And how much stock can we put into evaluating all of this now, as opposed to, again, after spring ball?
It seems pretty clear that James Franklin and his staff have underperformed during this cycle with regards to bringing in transfers. Yes, they landed two good players who should contribute, but that's just not enough, all things considered.
Penn State went 7-6 last season. And it lost several of its best players, including Dotson, safety Jaquan Brisker and defensive end Arnold Ebiketie, the crown jewel of last year's incoming transfer class.
It's not like the Lions return an awesome roster filled with great depth everywhere.
This team needs a strong influx of veteran talent that can step in right away and contribute at a high level this year. Yes, absolutely, the recruiting of high school players has gone exceptionally well, but most members of Penn State's No. 6 recruiting class will not be ready to contribute in a meaningful way this year. It could be two or three years before some are truly ready to make big impacts.
Franklin obviously knows that. You'd think, therefore, that the plan would have been to go out and get 6-10 high-quality transfers who can help get the most out of the 2022 season. Because in a lot of ways -- looking at the roster, schedule and everything else -- this sure looks like it could be another ho-hum 7-5 kind of season for the Lions.
There are holes at linebacker and defensive line, in particular, that could have and should have been addressed in the transfer portal.
Now, what we don't know is this: Did Franklin and his staff hit the portal really hard looking for more players, only to strike out with a bunch of guys they were targeting?
That seems plausible, given that the Lions are sitting here with only two commits from the portal.
Recruiting is going exceptionally well, so clearly Franklin and the assistants are still able to sell Penn State as a great destination to high school kids despite the on-field struggles of the past two seasons.
But isn't it possible that college players looking to transfer aren't quite as enamored with Penn State because of the 11-11 record over the past two years? The kind of players the Lions are going after certainly have offers from all kinds of major programs, and when it comes to the portal -- unlike with high school recruiting -- Penn State may not be a sexy choice.
Now, one counter to that is the fact that Penn State is still an excellent training program when it comes to sending players to the NFL. You'd think Penn State coaches can point to a guy like Ebiketie -- a projected first-round draft pick after transferring in from Temple -- as a major selling point when it comes to trying to land the services of highly rated transfers.
There's one other idea I'd like to toss out as a theory to why perhaps Franklin would not want to bring in a bunch of transfers this year to try and help turn 7-5 into, say, 9-4.
The coach frequently has mentioned that, with transfers, it has to be a good fit all around, that the players can come in and adapt to Penn State's culture and fill needs. One danger with bringing in guys just to add depth is that it can lead to adding the wrong personalities or selfish attitudes, and those can be harmful behind the scenes, in ways the public cannot see.
Penn State has a terrific recruiting class coming in, and Franklin wants these guys to get established into the program in all the right ways. So, my theory is that he might be willing to sacrifice some results for the 2022 season if it means not going out and bringing in a bunch of transfers who could theoretically upset the apple cart, so to speak, of the young guys' development.
Whatever the case, Penn State hasn't done enough in the transfer portal so far to make people feel a whole lot better about the 2022 season.
