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Penn State

Penn State tight end Joey Schlaffer plans to enter NCAA Transfer Portal

Stephen Samraby: Steve Samra17 hours agoSamraSource
joey schlaffer
Mark J. Rebilas-Imagn Images

Penn State tight end Joey Schlaffer plans to enter NCAA Transfer Portal, On3 has learned. He reportedly left the team on Wednesday, per BWI. He caught one pass for 19 yards and a touchdown in 2025.

Schlaffer played high school football at Exeter Township (Reading, PA), where he was a four-star prospect. He was the No. 365 overall recruit in the 2023 cycle, according to the Rivals Industry Ranking, a weighted algorithm that complies all major recruiting media services.

To keep up with the latest players on the move, check out On3’s Transfer Portal wire. The On3 Transfer Portal Instagram account and Twitter account are excellent resources to stay up to date with the latest moves.

Moving forward, it’ll be up to Penn State to find a coach who can adequately replace James Franklin, and prevent a mass exodus of talents like Schlaffer. A fellow former Nittany Lions tight end has an interesting idea for the gig.

Pat Freiermuth, now with the Pittsburgh Steelers, listed two names. The first was Bob Chesney, who has James Madison rolling to a 7-1 record and a five-game winning streak following Tuesday’s win over Texas State. The other was Missouri’s Eli Drinkwitz, who would fit the mold of a “big swing.”

Drinkwitz’s name has come up a few times in the early part of what’s expected to be a wild coaching carousel. But Freiermuth said he should be on Penn State’s radar.

“The head coach at JMU, I saw some things online. I think he’s pretty cool,” Freiermuth told Kay Adams on Up And Adams. “Him or Eli Drinkwitz from Missouri.”

When Adams told Freiermuth she went to Mizzou, she said she didn’t want Drinkwitz to leave. But Freiermuth said Penn State might “need him.”

On3’s Pete Nakos reported Drinkwitz’s name is one that has come up in Penn State’s coaching search. He has built Missouri into an SEC contender, leading the Tigers to back-to-back 10-win seasons as the program looks for a third such season in 2025. All told, since his arrival in 2020, Drinkwitz has a 44-26 overall record in CoMo and a 24-22 mark in conference play.

Time will tell if it’s Drinkwitz like Freiermuth is wishing, but Schlaffer might not be here to witness it. His decision has been made, it seems.