James Franklin will look for linebackers in NCAA transfer portal
With Penn State's spring football practices now officially in the books following the playing of the annual Blue-White spring game this weekend, head coach James Franklin is putting out an open invitation to any linebackers who want to come address a concern on the roster leading into the fall. Penn State's depth at the program's signature position is a bit more shallow than Franklin would like to see at this point in time, which led him to suggest the staff will be aggressive in the transfer portal a bit more than usual to address the position.
"I think we're in good shape but there are some concerns as well since we lost someone we did not anticipate losing," Franklin said in his postgame comments following Saturday's spring game. The comment was a reference to the surprising departure of Ta'Mere Robinson, who entered the transfer portal and committed to USC. Robinson was expected to be a contributor to the Penn State defense this season following the departure of Kobe King to the NFL (King was drafted by the Minnesota Vikings).
Penn State will return veteran team captain Dominic DeLuca and rising star Tony Rojas, who was limited this spring while recovering from an injury. Franklin also praised the development of Anthony Speca, who is entering his second season with the program with high expectations.
"As you all know, we aren't a big portal team, but we're going to address some issues," Franklin said. "If there is a linebacker out there that wants to be a part of our program and play for LBU, the most historic linebacker program in the history of college football, there's an opportunity to join the room."
Related: Updated Penn State football transfer portal tracker
Penn State has added seven players to the program from the transfer portal, including the most recent addition of former Syracuse wide receiver Trebor Pena. That includes a pair of edge rushers with Owen Wafle and Enai White, but not the focus will be on adding some more bodies at the linebacker spot before the start of the season.
"I think we have enough in the room, but getting through a season with potential injuries could be challenging," Franklin said. "We're going to look in the portal soon and see if we can find a solution."
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