It was a busy weekend for Penn State head coach James Franklin and his assistant coaches, who spent the past three days traveling nationwide for in-home visits. Now, it’s about to get even busier.
In addition to preparing for Ole Miss in the Peach Bowl, now the Nittany Lion staff will shift much of its attention to the transfer portal, which officially opened Monday, Dec. 4. The window has been reduced this year from 45 days to 30 days, meaning players have until Jan. 2, 2024, to declare their intentions.
While many players have already publicly declared that they intend to enter the portal, Penn State and all Football Bowl Subdivision (FBS) coaches aren’t allowed to contact players directly until today. There are a few exceptions to that rule, however, as coaches have been allowed to contact graduate transfers, players who previously played at a lower level (FCS, Ivy League, Div. II, etc.) as well as those who were previously on a team that went through a coaching change.
We’ll keep track of Penn State’s transfer portal activity here over the next week and beyond.
Outgoing: WR Cristian Driver (Dec. 4)
On3 confirmed Monday morning that redshirt freshman wide receiver Cristian Driver is the second Penn State player to enter the portal. After playing cornerback his first season on campus, Driver switched to wide receiver in the offseason but totaled just 27 snaps at the position. He also played 22 snaps on special teams in 2023.
Coming out of Liberty Christian High School in Texas, Driver held a four-star rating in the On3 Industry Rankings, coming in at No. 297 nationally. Driver finished as a four-star prospect at 247Sports, Rivals and ESPN. On3 rated him a three-star prospect with an 88 overall rating. He’s the son of former Green Bay Packers wide receiver Donald Driver. Franklin coached Driver while with the Packers in 2005.
Read More: Penn State WR Cristian Driver enters transfer portal
Outgoing: P Alex Bacchetta (Dec. 4)
Punter Alex Bacchetta…
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