Penn State running back London Montgomery enters transfer portal
Penn State is set to lose one of its running backs in the transfer portal, as Blue White Illustrated and On3 confirmed Thursday afternoon that Scranton, Pa., native London Montgomery has entered his name.
Listed at 5-foot-10, 186 pounds, Montgomery was a member of Penn State’s Class of 2023. He had an excellent junior season at Scranton Prep, totaling nearly 2,400 yards rushing and 36 touchdowns. That ultimately earned him an offer in March 2022. He took three visits to State College from April to June of that year and ended up committing a few weeks after his official visit on July 11.
However, his senior season didn’t go as planned. During a three-team scrimmage the Saturday before the regular season was set to begin, Montgomery tore his anterior cruciate ligament and was forced to miss the entire season. That injury proved to hurt in multiple ways, slowing his growth physically ahead of enrollment. It also didn’t help that Montgomery didn’t enroll at Penn State until the summer of 2023.
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A former four-star prospect, Montgomery would have had to submit the paperwork to enter the transfer portal at the end of Tuesday. However, schools have 48 hours to submit the paperwork to the NCAA, which is why the running back’s name did not appear in the portal until today. After redshirting this past season, he’ll have four years of eligibility remaining.
The move is particularly notable when you look at what the Nittany Lions have done so far in the Class of 2025 at the same position. After picking up a commitment from Arkansas native and four-star prospect Kiandrea Barker in April 2023, assistant coach Ja’Juan Seider hasn’t slowed down at all at the position.
When Penn State added Aliquippa native Tiqwai Hayes this past September, most expected the Lions to be done at the position. Then, just last month, Seider and the staff added Alabama native Alvin Henderson. Ranked No. 116 nationally in the On3 Industry Rankings, Henderson is now the top-ranked player in Penn State’s class and the third running back to commit.
