Penn State Roster: Counting Recruits, 18 Players Have Now Left

Jones (6’3, 258 pounds) becomes one of the many former Joe Paterno recruits to leave the school for personal reasons. Out of high school, the redshirt junior was recruited to compete for the Nittany Lions’ starting quarterback position, which is currently held down by Matt McGloin. Under O’Brien, Jones was playing the “F” tight end spot where he caught just two passes.

According to head coach Bill O’Brien, leg strength is the only reason Ficken is the starter. He also stated that the kicker position is a job that can be won on a weekly basis.

The team plans to hold walk-on tryouts next week. Ficken is currently the only kicker listed on the team’s depth chart this week.

The decision is strange because Kersey was in the receiving rotation this season. He had caught six passes for 44 yards in his first two games, including five catches for 35 yards in a 24-14 loss to Ohio the opening week of the football season. Kersey has struggled with drops though, including a huge touchdown drop that could have helped the Nittany Lions secure the victory. This actually isn’t the first time Kersey has been rumored to leave the team; the receiver nearly left Penn State due to a lack of playing time in 2010.

Talk about Kersey’s depature with Penn State fans by heading on over to Black Shoe Diaries.

With all that has went down with Penn State over the last year, few rosters have fluctuated more than the Nittany Lions’. On Monday, the team released its depth chart for its first game.

The starting quarterback who will guide Penn State through what should be a tough season is senior Matt McGloin.

So far, nine players have decided to transfer from the Penn State football program, which in July was sanctioned by the NCAA with a four-year postseason ban and reduced scholarships.

According to Moyer, Fagnano was asked to be released from Akron after he was not invited to preseason camp and had a lengthy discussion with his family, including his brother Jake Fagnano, a Penn State safety.

Penn State has seen plenty of players go following the sanctions handed down by the NCAA, but for the first time since the sanctions were announced, Penn State added a high school verbal commit.

Jordan Smith, a high school defensive back from Washington D.C., verbally committed to Penn State on Saturday. He becomes the first post-sanction commitment after Penn State previously lost 16 current players or verbal commitments.

Penn State has already lost 10 players from it’s 2011 roster in the wake of sanctions the school received last month and another former player transferred this week although it’s not necessarily a new loss. Redshirt junior cornerback Derrick Thomas transferred to Marshall this week, but he left the Penn State football team in late June due to personal reasons.

While Thomas left the team prior to the release of the sanctions against the program, he is able to transfer to Marshall without losing any eligibility as a result. He went through his first practice with the Thundering Herd on Thursday. Thomas appeared in nine games last season but did not travel with the team to the TicketCity Bowl.

Royer is the first of the departed players to stick around PSU. His exit could have less to do with the NCAA’s sanctions and more to do with what he calls “circumstances beyond my control,” but that’s his business. He plans to graduate in May.

Penn State lost a commitment from five-star offensive tackle Dorian Johnson Tuesday night. It was the second decommitment of the day, joining linebacker Zach Bradshaw, who opted out earlier in the day.

Johnson and Bradshaw join three other recent decommitments in the wake of the Jerry Sandusky scandal and the resulting NCAA sanctions. They are: cornerback/receiver Will Fuller, who flipped to Notre Dame in July, defensive tackle Greg Webb, who flipped to North Carolina, and Ross Douglas, a corner who flipped to Michigan.

A lot has changed since I wrote my 2012 Penn State preview, which was only a month ago. Since the Freeh Report and NCAA sanctions hit, PSU has lost 14 players via either transfers or decommitments. While the depletion isn’t likely over with, here’s a look at what they’ve lost and what they’ve still got.

(Haplea would have been No. 5 on this list, but he also transferred.)

Johnson, who affirmed his commitment last month through his high school coach, told the paper that he’s now interested in Pittsburgh, Ohio State and Virginia Tech. His decision is a tough blow for the Nittany Lions, who have now lost five members of their Class of 2013 as well as nine transfers since the NCAA announced sanctions against the program.

Will Fuller, a three-star wide receiver from Philadelphia, decommitted from PSU in favor of Notre Dame last weekend, while Zach Bradshaw, a three-star outside linebacker recruit from Maryland, reopened his recruitment earlier Tuesday. But Johnson’s decision hurts the most, as he was the team’s third-highest rated recruit. Penn State’s Class of 2013 now stands at just nine players.

Penn State has very boring uniforms. This has always been their thing. Everybody has always liked it. But things are changing for Penn State, as you may have gathered from the news. The latest change, as had been hinted at by Bill O’Brien, is a change to those unis.

Not only will players wear blue ribbons in recognition of child abuse victims, they’ll also wear their names on the backs of their jerseys for the first time ever. This wouldn’t be a big deal for most programs, but for PSU, it might as well be a big green pair of lightning bolt racing stripes. (Due to circumstances, those lightning bolts are all but required additions.)

Zach Bradshaw, an outside linebacker recruit, decommitted from Penn State Tuesday according to multiple reports.

Bradshaw is the third player to decommit from the Nittany Lions since massive NCAA sanctions were announced, and the fourth since the release of the Freeh Report. PSU has lost four total recruits recently in addition to nine transfers.

Redd suited up for USC for the first time on Monday (there’s photo evidence and everything), and Kiffin was pleased with his back’s ability to pick up new concepts so far, which even included some special teams. Redd on the move:

Receiver Justin Brown has made his way to Oklahoma, but has yet to lose his old team’s colors (that there is a don’t-hit-the-new-guy-yet jersey):

Apologies for the number of qualifiers in that headline, but we all know Penn State football isn’t out of the transfer woods just yet. With fall practice now underway in State College, though, coach Bill O’Brien can express confidence that almost every player on site will stick around at least through the end of the season. And despite losing nine players (including at least three starters) and several recruits due to the NCAA’s sanctions, PSU’s roster is certainly more intact than many of us had feared at first:

The downside, of course, is that it’s not over yet. Players can freely transfer up until they actually suit up for the Nittany Lions, meaning more could leave during camp and anybody not getting playing time during the season could transfer mid-week. Players will also be free to go after the season, which could prove to be more realistic, as every possible destination will have more flexible roster numbers and players won’t feel quite as pressured to make a quick decision. They’ll also have to sit and watch the entire bowl season play out without them, which could add to the temptation to leave.

Justin Brown is reportedly transferring from Penn State to Oklahoma. He’s well within his rights to do so and is able to make the move without penalty, as a result of the sanctions Penn State was hit with. In fact, it’s hard to blame him for leaving and choosing to join a depleted Oklahoma wide receiver corps. In Norman, OK, he’ll be able to go to a bowl and, in all likelihood, a very good one.

But oh boy are fans not taking this well.

Penn State and Bill O’Brien received some good news on Friday evening when three Nittany Lions exploring potential transfers reaffirmed their commitment to PSU. Incoming freshman running back Akeel Lynch was reportedly considering a move within the conference to Iowa, but the upstate New York recruit tweeted out his intention to play in Happy Valley this fall:

With practice beginning on Monday, it was a good way to start the weekend for PSU’s program.

Earlier in the week, Brown described the OU contact as light, but obviously urgency is ramping up here.

Brown, a senior and former four-star recruit, stands 6’3 and 209 pounds, ranking second on PSU’s receiving list last year with 35 catches for 517 yards. He would solve the experience problem for Oklahoma, whose receiving corps has been rocked by all manner of affliction, having played in 36 career games.

Fera makes for the eighth roster player to leave PSU since the NCAA’s sanctions hit, and the second starter. Since he started at two positions last year, his loss might actually be the heaviest yet.

For Texas, here’s what Fera could mean, via Burnt Orange Nation:

The story came from Kiffin on Colin Cowherd’s radio show:

Try saying no to that. Just try.

The anticipated Penn State mass transfer exodus hasn’t quite happened as some had feared, but more than a half-dozen players already appear to be striking out for elsewhere, including star running back Silas Redd to USC, quite a few other juniors, and a top incoming freshman defensive tackle.

The worst might not even be over yet for PSU, as players will still be able to transfer out after the season as well without NCAA penalty.

Penn State receiver Justin Brown says he’s been in touch with OU, but “not that much contact.” Brown, a senior and former four-star recruit, stands 6’3 and 209 pounds, ranking second on PSU’s receiving list last year with 35 catches for 517 yards. He would solve the experience problem for Oklahoma, having played in 36 career games.

But Brown tells Sooner Scoop rumors of his impending transfer aren’t true “as of now.” Despite possibly losing something like seven players already, Penn State’s offense remains in steady shape for the time being.

Pollard originally committed to Penn State as a junior, but the university pulled his scholarship offer after his grades failed to meet their standards. He was able to get his grades up, however, and signed a National Letter of Intent to join the Nittany Lions next season this past February.

The recent sanctions against Penn State caused Pollard to change his mind, though, as his high school coach told the New Jersey Star-Ledger that his standout lineman is now headed to Rutgers.

Haplea is officially the fourth Penn State player to transfer since the NCAA granted a waiver for the Penn State players to transfer without penalty or having to sit out for a season in order to be eligible.

Haplea caught six passes for 60 yards and one touchdown for Penn State in his career, but the 6-foot-4, 248-pound junior tight end’s destination is not known at this time.

Bolden is eligible to play immediately for Penn State, due to the waiver awarded by the NCAA after laying down their punishment on Penn State for the Sandusky scandal.

For more on Penn State’s ongoing transfer situation, check out this Storystream. For more on Nittany Lions football, visit Penn State blog Black Shoe Diaries, plus Big Ten blog Off Tackle Empire, and SB Nation Pittsburgh.