ALTOONA, Pa. -- We are now squarely in the wild, wild West in college football with the transfer portal eruption, but despite that, things remained pretty calm in Penn State land Monday.
Compared to what happened with the other major program in the state at Pitt -- which swapped starting quarterbacks -- the opening of the transfer portal window was essentially a ho-hum kind of day with the Nittany Lions.
That wasn't the case for former Penn State defensive coordinator Brent Pry, who saw a whopping 11 of his Virginia Tech players enter the portal Monday.
So far today, these are the 5 schools that have had the most players officially enter the Transfer Portal. pic.twitter.com/4T6rW4z8mK
— 247Sports (@247Sports) December 5, 2022
It's pretty much impossible to have a day like Monday, which saw more than 500 FBS football players enter the portal, come and go without some kind of movement for a major program. And yes, Penn State did have four players announce they are entering the portal.
Still, none of them were key factors on this year's team, nor were they really expected to be major factors in the next year or two.
These four players have entered the portal:
• QB Christian Vielleux, a redshirt freshman and the third-stringer this season who played sparingly.
• OL Maleek McNeil, a freshman who was no longer on the roster late in the season and did not appear in any games.
• DE Rodney McGraw, a redshirt freshman who saw limited action in four games.
• CB Jeffrey Davis Jr., a redshirt freshman who played briefly in one game (Ohio).
All four players were 3-star recruits, and all were buried on the depth chart.
While every player is important -- remember, we're talking about real human beings here with talents and goals -- the fact of the matter is that none of these are big losses for Penn State. Had he stayed, Veilleux might have been a factor next season as the backup to Drew Allar, but as reported last week, many people considered it pretty much a given that he would transfer.
It shouldn't be a surprise that top-flight players aren't looking to leave Penn State. The program is in extremely good shape right now -- both for the end of this season with a Rose Bowl berth and going forward -- and there really isn't any major controversy involving standout players who might like to go elsewhere.
In short, the Lions are rolling right now, so why would any of the important pieces want to leave?
So, for this transfer portal cycle, it would be a big surprise if any major names elect to transfer. Although, in the era of big NIL money, such a decision could always be in flux depending on how much money could be out there.
Many Penn State fans have wondered if both standout freshmen running backs, Nicholas Singleton and Kaytron Allen, will remain with the program for their entire careers. While that could be a question down the road, based on numerous factors, it's hard to see either leaving this offseason.
Penn State may not lose many or any key players to the transfer portal this cycle, but the Lions certainly are going to be very active trying to lure players who are in the portal. They made offers to several players Monday, including:
• DL Elijah Jeudy (6-3, 295), a former 4-star recruit from Philadelphia who was the No. 9 prospect in Pennsylvania for the class of 2021 and spent one season at Texas A&M.
• WR Dante Cephas (6-1, 186), a former 2-star recruit out of Penn Hills High School for the class of 2019 who spent four seasons at Kent State.
Penn State certainly will be looking to add an experienced wide receiver from the portal, someone who can step right in next year and be a major factor. The Lions also will look for depth on both lines, as well as in the secondary.
Monday was just the start of the transfer portal zaniness. And while Penn State hasn't lost or added a marquee name yet, that could change any day now.
James Franklin was asked Sunday about his thoughts on the transfer portal and how crazy things could get.
"For me to sit here and say that I'm not worried about college football and that I'm not concerned about maybe some of the advice that some of these guys are getting -- I'm not talking Penn State-specific, I'm talking big picture right now -- is concerning," Franklin said.
"At Penn State and specifically with me, I want as many of our guys to play in the NFL as possible. But I'm also still a big believer on what getting your undergraduate degree, and for a lot of our guys a master's degree, what that's gonna do for them for the rest of their lives.
"What my concern is, the more coaches I talk to and the more people I see, academics is less and less a part of some of these decision-making processes. It's strictly about football. I do think there's still a balancing act that I think needs to happen and can happen, where a kid can reach all of his goals from an academic perspective and still be able to chase his football dreams.
"That's why being at a place like Penn State is so important and it's so special, because the young men in our program have the support and resources to achieve all their goals and all their dreams. That's not the case everywhere."
