Penn State portal update: Nittany Lions targeting several transfer wide receivers

Penn State has reason for optimism next year. Left tackle Olu Fashanu, a possible top-10 pick in the NFL draft, is coming back. True freshmen Nick Singleton and Kaytron Allen totaled 1,771 yards and 19 touchdowns on the ground in their debut season. And five-star phenom Drew Allar is set to take the reins at quarterback.

But Allar will need receivers to target. Parker Washington, the team’s leading receiver, might leave for the NFL despite a season-ending injury suffered last month. Mitchell Tinsley, the team’s second-leading receiver, is out of eligibility. That leaves KeAndre Lambert-Smith and a crop of freshmen and redshirt freshmen to step up.

Even if Washington returns, head coach James Franklin, receivers coach Taylor Stubblefield and Penn State’s staff would love to get Allar another experienced receiver or two. That much is clear as Penn State has made the position a top priority since the transfer portal opened Monday to FBS undergraduate players.

On Monday, Kent State’s Dante Cephas announced that the Nittany Lions offered him a scholarship. On Tuesday, Arizona’s Dorian Singer also announced that he received an offer from Penn State.

Those two offers came on the heels of South Florida receiver Jimmy Horn Jr. putting Penn State among his finalists on Sunday. Horn (551 receiving yards, five total touchdowns) entered the portal last week, taking advantage of the early window afforded to players whose coaches leave or get fired.

So that’s three transfer targets with confirmed offers. Plus, Oregon receiver Dont’e Thornton is expected to be a prime target for Penn State. Thornton, who was verbally committed to Penn State’s 2021 recruiting class before flipping to the Ducks, hasn’t publicly acknowledged offers on social media like most portal entrants.

Thornton, the No. 75 prospect in the 2021 cycle per 247 Sports, figures to be one of the most sought-after playmakers in the portal. Same goes for Cephas and Singer.

For Cephas, this has been a far cry from his high school recruitment. Only a few MAC schools offered the 6-foot-1 receiver when he was a two-star 2019 prospect coming out Penn Hills, where he was teammates with Penn State cornerback Daequan Hardy. But last season, Cephas emerged with 1,240 receiving yards and nine total touchdowns for Kent State. This year, he had 744 yards and three scores while missing a few games.

Back-to-back first-team All-MAC campaigns caught everyone’s attention. Cephas has offers from Pitt, West Virginia, Notre Dame, Kansas, Virginia Tech, Oklahoma, Miami and Penn State with two years of eligibility left.

Singer’s offer list is also pretty impressive. The former Arizona standout with two years of eligibility remaining has received interest from Arkansas, Colorado, Miami, Arizona State and Utah.

The Pac-12 is acutely aware of Singer’s talent after the former walk-on led the conference in receiving yards (1,105) this year. He also had 66 catches and six touchdowns, three of which came in an October loss to USC.

Surely, Cephas and Singer will pick up more offers. And in all likelihood, Penn State will reach out to other receivers as more and more enter the transfer portal.