Penn State defender becomes first Lion to enter transfer portal following spring practice
Penn State has lost a defensive lineman to the NCAA transfer portal.
On3 national college football reporter Matt Zenitz said Monday that defensive tackle Cole Brevard has entered his name into the mechanism that allows other colleges to contact a player who wants to explore different opportunities.
The Carmel, Ind., native was a four-star recruit in the Class of 2020 On3 Consensus player rankings. He did not see any game action as a freshman but was once named the scout team defensive player of the week. Last fall, Brevard saw time in the Penn State-Rutgers game. However, he never saw significant action even after the program lost PJ Mustipher to injury before Derrick Tangelo opted out of the Outback Bowl.
What Brevard’s decision means for Penn State
Head coach James Franklin was blunt about what would happen after spring practice during a recent news conference. And, he was dead-on accurate just two days removed from it.
“After spring ball, I hope we don’t lose anybody, but if you look around the country, that happens after spring ball,” Franklin said. “So we’ll have to have our antennas up.”
Brevard is example number one. But, he probably won’t be the last.
It is not a great surprise that Brevard is opting to look around. For starters, we only saw him once during the Blue-White game on Saturday, which was telling. But, Penn State also has a fairly stout defensive tackle competition shaping up for both starting jobs and reserve ones. From what we’ve seen out of newcomer Zane Durant and others, it was not a guarantee that Brevard was going to see more time in year three compares to years one and two. That’s a reality some players must wrestle with when deciding whether or not they want to look for greener pastures.
Brevard could still return to Penn State, of course, but the odds of that happening are slim. Instead, the Lions are likely to go into summer camp with just eight defensive tackles. It’s a fine number, though an addition from the portal shouldn’t be ruled out. However, it’s unlikely given the aforementioned depth at the position for assistant John Scott Jr.
How many players could hit the portal?
Penn State and every other college football program will lose players to the portal this spring. That’s simply the current reality in college football.
In most years, three to five players tend to move on after realizing where they stand on the roster. Sometimes, the number is lower. Other times it is higher, but that’s the average range. So, in other words, Brevard will likely have some company in the portal over the days and weeks ahead.
