Penn State Strikes out in the portal and what comes next: BWI Daily
Penn State football got bad news this week from the transfer portal. Three of their top defensive end targets, Gabriel and Grayson Murphy of North Texas and Jordan Domineck of Gerogia Tech elected to go elsewhere. The twin pass rushers form North Texas chose UCLA as their transfer destination, while Domineck picked Arkansas over Penn State. Host of the BWI Daily Edition, Thomas Frank Carr, breaks down the sting factor of each decision, then explains what else is out there. After that, he looks at the roster to try and find solutions to the Nittany Lion’s problem at d-end.
Penn State missed on three defensive ends, but only two mattered
First, T-Frank discusses why Domineck isn’t a massive loss for Penn State. He doesn’t think that the one-time Yellowjacket was a great fit given Penn State’s need at the position and Domineck’s skillset. However, Domineck is an excellent example of the type of players left in the portal that Penn State has to choose from, so he dives into the numbers and shares what he knows about the senior defensive end.
After wrapping up his thoughts on Domineck, T-Frank explains why the Murphy twins are the more considerable loss. He explains the confusion about their positional fit and why he thought they were more fit for Penn State, given the talent already on the roster. He points out critical metrics in the profile from PFF and how they could have helped fill a void.
More from T-Frank: Penn State players who need a good Pro Day: Ellis Brooks
Penn State’s last available fixes (for now)
Next, T-Frank describes the game of TCU transfer Ochaun Mathis. The rising senior took a step back last season as Domineck did. But just like the Georiga Tech pass rusher, there’s an explanation. First, he dives into the stable and unstable metrics of Mathis’ data from PFF and then provides context with his film observations.
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Penn State is looking for a defensive end in the portal because of a deficiency of one key element in the room. The Nittany Lions aren’t lacking quality talent, and T-Frank goes through the roster of players and how they can help the team. He explains why Adisa Isaac is so important but why he likely can’t do it alone.
Can a freshman fix the situation?
To fix the problem, Penn State has one final solution. That player is freshman Dani Dennis-Sutton. T-Frank explains how he’s come around to the idea of the freshman being a major factor next fall, despite his hesitance to place too much pressure on first-year players.
