Penn State adds specialist via the transfer portal
Penn State picked up a specialist via the transfer portal Saturday, as former Florida Atlantic punter Riley Thompson announced his commitment to the Nittany Lions via Twitter. A native of Mentone, Australia, Thompson joined the Owls just before preseason camp and went on to have a special season, earning All-America honors from multiple media outlets. Blue White Illustrated confirmed that Thompson will be on scholarship.
In his only season at FAU, Thompson totaled 61 punts, averaging 45.4 yards per kick. Thompson also had an eye-catching 15 punts that went beyond 50 yards. 26 of his attempts were downed within the 20-yard line.
Thompson earned All-America honors from multiple publications. College Football News and The Athletic both named him to their Freshman All-America teams. He was also third-team All-America by Pro Football Focus. Thompson earned an overall grade of 71.6 by PFF this past season. That ranked 10th nationally among 33 punters who attempted 60 punts or more.
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Penn State has sent two punters to the NFL in recent years, as Blake Gillikin has been the lead punter for the New Orleans Saints the past two years, while Jordan Stout is in the midst of his first season with the Baltimore Ravens. Similar to Thompson, Penn State added Stout via the transfer portal.
In fact, the Nittany Lions have consistently looked to the portal in recent years to add depth to their special teams. Last year, they added former Colgate punter Barney Amor via the portal. Amor ended up earning a scholarship during preseason camp. He had just one year of eligibility.
Thompson is actually the second specialist to commit to Penn State via the transfer portal this year. Back on Dec. 8, former Columbia kicker Alex Felkins announced that he’ll play for the Nittany Lions next season. Felkins will come in as a preferred walk-on.
During his four years at Columbia, Felkins played three seasons, as the Ivy League did not play in 2020. He converted 36 of 54 field goal attempts, making a career long from 53 yards out this past season.
Felkins is the all-time leader in points at Columbia, totaling 183.
