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Like we are doing for the Pinstripe Bowl opt out thread, we’ll be updating this post as players enter the transfer portal. As a reminder, players can’t officially enter until January 2. Right now, they are just announcing their intentions to do so.
DT Xavier Gilliam (12/31/25)
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Welp, this one stings. Gilliam doesn’t have the gaudiest of stats — 15 tackles, 2 TFLs, and 0.5 sacks — but at 6-foot-2, 300 pounds and proving to be a capable P4 defensive tackle as a redshirt freshman, he is going to have some major suitors in the transfer portal. Chris Hummer of 247Sports noted that Penn State is hopeful it can still retain Gilliam, but the market for young 300-pounders is the opposite of whatever the bargain bin is. We’ll see what happens once Penn State hires a defensive line coach, but I have a difficult time seeing Gilliam circling back around to Penn State.
WR Kaden Saunders (12/31/25)
A Top 100 consensus recruit in the 2022 recruiting class, Kaden Saunders could never quite live up to the hype in Happy Valley. He redshirted in 2022, was a rotational piece in 2023, and then was dealt injuries in 2024 and 2025. He’ll depart Penn State a graduate of the university, but will be playing his football elsewhere in 2026 and beyond should he try for a medical hardship.
QB Bekkem Kritza (12/30/25)
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True freshman QB Bekkem Kritza is the latest Nittany Lion to announce that he’ll be entering the transfer portal. Not to be an a-hole because they were probably decisions he wasn’t making, but Kritza transferred high schools five times, twice during the season. So, uh, not really a surprise he is departing after one season.
WR Anthony Ivey (12/29/25)
A former four-star prospect. Anthony Ivey could never quite get it going in Happy Valley as his tenure as a Nittany Lion ends with one reception for 15 yards in 2024. He’ll have one season left of eligibility at his next school.
LB Keon Wylie (12/29/25)
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Linebacker Keon Wylie is the first Penn State player who played in the Pinstripe Bowl to announce their intention to enter the portal. Wylie’s career in Happy Valley ends with 47 tackles, 8 TFLs, and 4.5 sacks, solid numbers when you consider he had an injury that kept him out for the entirety of the 2024 season. He’ll have one season left of eligibility at his next school.
DE Zuriah Fisher (12/28/25)
We knew Fisher was out for the Pinstripe Bowl, but now it’s been confirmed he’ll be entering the portal when it opens on January 2nd. Fisher is currently a 6th year senior, and he’ll need a medical waiver from the NCAA for another year of eligibility. That should be possible, as Fisher missed all but two games of the 2022 season due to an offseason injury and missed all of 2024.
DL Daniel Jennings (12/24/25)
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Originally a member of the 2026 recruiting class who reclassified to enroll this past summer, Daniel Jennings is no longer with the program and will explore options elsewhere, according to Lions247. Jennings was listed as a defensive end, but at 6-foot-1, 257 pounds, he was expected to grow into a defensive tackle. That might still be the case, but that’ll happen elsewhere and not in Happy Valley.
LB Kari Jackson (12/23/25)
Redshirt freshman linebacker Kari Jackson is entering the portal after two seasons in Happy Valley where he’s largely dealt with injuries that have kept him on the sideline. He saw just 5 snaps over the last two seasons, with all five coming on special teams.
CB AJ Harris (12/22/25)
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Four months ago this time, AJ Harris was viewed as one of the top five cornerbacks in the country and was looked at as a likely Day 1 or Day 2 pick in the 2026 NFL Draft. Well, the Penn State season didn’t go as planned, and that counts for AJ Harris too. Not that PFF is the end-all-be-all when it comes to grading players, but Harris finished 2024 with a 78.9 grade — that dropped to 59.8 this season — and he’ll now be spending his final season of eligibility elsewhere.
OL Alex Birchmeier (12/19/25)
A top 100 prospect in the 2023 recruiting class, Alex Birchmeier could never quite live up to his lofty recruiting ranking at Penn State. He redshirted in 2023, and then struggled to get on the field for much more than special teams work. He finishes his career in Happy Valley having played just 33 snaps on the offensive line, and will now transfer with two seasons of eligibility left.
DE Chaz Coleman (12/18/25)
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Despite Penn State’s best efforts to keep Chaz Coleman, the talented true freshman defensive end is headed to the portal. Where will he end up? Ohio State, duh. That remains to be seen. He could go anywhere! But he won’t be in Happy Valley, following a 1 sack, 3 TFL season where he missed games down the stretch due to portalitis injury.
CB Elliot Washington (12/11/25)
Washington leaves Penn State after three seasons with the Nittany Lions where he’s played quite a bit as a rotational cornerback but has never been a full-time starter. In 2025, he saw his playing time diminish as the year went on. Through the first 6 games, he played more than 30 snaps four times: FIU, Oregon, UCLA, and Northwestern. Over the final 6 games, he played more than 20 snaps just once: Ohio State. So while Washington probably would have had a role again as a rotational corner, it appears the writing was on the wall for him as far as being a starter at Penn State in 2026.
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