The moves regarding the Penn State football roster are coming at a dizzying pace as the NCAA transfer portal opened Friday.
Safety King Mack, who started eight games after returning to the Nittany Lions, is the latest and most surprising player to enter the portal. He emerged as a team leader after James Franklin was fired as head coach and Terry Smith was named interim coach.
A junior from Miami, Fla., he began his career at Penn State in 2023, transferred to Alabama for the 2024 season and came back to the Lions for this season. One report said that he might be headed to Tennessee, where he would join defensive coordinator Jim Knowles and safeties coach Anthony Poindexter, who’s leaving Penn State for the Volunteers.
Mack is one of several front-line Penn State players who plan to transfer, joining quarterback Ethan Grunkemeyer, offensive lineman T.J. Shanahan, tight end Luke Reynolds, defensive ends Zuriah Fisher, Jaylen Harvey and Chaz Coleman, defensive tackle Xavier Gilliam, linebacker Keon Wylie and cornerbacks A.J. Harris and Elliot Washington II.
Ryan Barker, the most accurate kicker in school history, announced early Friday morning that he’s returning to Penn State, along with linebacker Tony Rojas, cornerback Audavion Collins, safety Dejuan Lane and others.
The Penn State roster tracker below will be updated frequently.
Players returning
Owen Aliciene: offensive lineman, freshman
Ryan Barker: kicker, redshirt sophomore
Henry Boehme: offensive lineman, redshirt sophomore
Audavion Collins: cornerback, redshirt junior
Cooper Cousins: offensive lineman, sophomore
Daryus Dixson: cornerback, freshman
Anthony Donkoh: offensive lineman, redshirt sophomore
Finn Furmanek: tight end, redshirt sophomore
Max Granville: defensive end, redshirt freshman
Koby Howard: wide receiver, freshman
Yvan Kemajou: defensive end, freshman
Dejuan Lane: safety, sophomore
Quinton Martin Jr.: running back, redshirt freshman
Chimdy Onoh: offensive lineman, redshirt sophomore
Andrew Rappleyea: tight end, redshirt sophomore
Tony Rojas: linebacker, junior
Garrett Sexton: offensive lineman, redshirt freshman
Alex Tatsch: linebacker, freshman
Vaboue Toure: safety, redshirt freshman
Players in the transfer portal
Alex Birchmeier: offensive lineman, redshirt sophomore
Eagan Boyer: offensive lineman, redshirt freshman
Josiah Brown: wide receiver, redshirt freshman
Chaz Coleman: defensive end, freshman
Aaron Enterline: wide receiver, redshirt freshman
Jeff Exinor Jr.: wide receiver, freshman
Zuriah Fisher: defensive end, redshirt senior
Xavier Gilliam: defensive tackle, redshirt freshman
Ethan Grunkemeyer: quarterback, redshirt freshman
A.J. Harris: cornerback, junior
Jaylen Harvey: defensive end, redshirt freshman
Anthony Ivey: wide receiver, redshirt junior
Kari Jackson: linebacker, redshirt freshman
Daniel Jennings: defensive end, freshman
Karson Kiesewetter: safety, redshirt sophomore
Bekkem Kritza: quarterback, freshman
King Mack: safety, junior
Lamont Payne Jr.: safety, redshirt sophomore
Luke Reynolds: tight end, sophomore
Kaden Saunders: wide receiver, redshirt junior
Joey Schlaffer: tight end, redshirt sophomore
T.J. Shanahan: offensive lineman, redshirt sophomore
Sam Siafa: defensive tackle, redshirt junior
Corey Smith: running back, redshirt freshman
Jaxon Smolik: quarterback, redshirt sophomore
Anthony Speca: linebacker, redshirt freshman
Cam Wallace: running back, redshirt sophomore
Elliot Washington II: cornerback, junior
J’ven Williams: offensive lineman, redshirt sophomore
Keon Wylie: linebacker, redshirt junior
