Midseason transfer trade-off: How Will Levis, other PSU exits have fared

An offseason like no other resulted in turnover across college football, and Penn State football was not exempt.

The Nittany Lions brought names in via the transfer portal, and suffered some losses as well.

With Penn State's bye week falling nicely in the middle of the season, this is a good time to check in on how some of the players who left Penn State this offseason have fared with their new programs.

Levis is the obvious headliner within this group, especially considering what we saw from Ta'Quan Roberson after Sean Clifford was injured against Iowa last weekend. He's the talk of the town in Lexington, and not only because he eats bananas with the peel still on and drinks coffee with mayo.

Levis has the Wildcats at 6-0 for the season, including back-to-back wins over Florida and LSU. He's completed 87 of his 135 passes for 1,134 yards and 11 touchdowns with six interceptions. He is the No. 5 graded QB in the SEC this season among players with at least 100 dropbacks by PFF. A big reason for that is his contributions as a runner. Levis has 26 carries for 204 yards this season.

Antonio Shelton, who now goes by Antonio Valentino with the Gators, was a regular contributor for the Nittany Lions toward the back end of his Penn State career, but has run into competition for his place with the Gators. Valentino has played fewer than 50 percent of the possible defensive snaps for the 4-2 Gators in each of the last three weeks. He has six tackles so far on the season.

Playing for his former offensive coordinator Ricky Rahne, Kuntz has turned in quite a productive start to his season. The tight end has been targeted 48 times, with 27 receptions and 263 receiving yards and a pair of touchdowns. PFF gives him a 69.4 overall grade.

Once a highly touted recruit, Dixon departed after two seasons in Happy Valley and found a home in Morgantown, where he plays regularly. He has 170 defensive snaps to his name through six weeks. He has 15 tackles so far this season. Pro Football Focus gives him a 61.0 overall grade.

A minor transfer saga eventually ended with Dunmore playing at Oregon State, where he has one reception for four yards.

Gordon has appeared in two games for Arkansas this season according to Pro Football Focus' snap count data, mostly on special teams. The Razorbacks list him as their backup nickel corner but he has been dealing with an injury that is limiting his action.

The former highly rated prospect didn't take a snap for the Nittany Lions, and is now playing for Campbell, where he has 11 tackles, an interception and a fumble recovery in five games.

Bowens has yet to appear for the Sooners with plenty of quarterback talent ahead of him on the depth chart.

Culpepper has found a home with the Rockets, where he is a key cog on the defensive front. He has 25 tackles through six games for Toledo, which is off to a 3-3 start to the season. He owns 0.5 sacks as well. He grades out well with Pro Football Focus, earning a 73.2 overall rating.

Jones has played 51 snaps for the Blazers this season and has one reception for five yards.

After entering the transfer portal, Thorpe decided to give up football and focus on other endeavors.

Simmons is a key piece for the Marshall defense, with 269 snaps under his belt through six games. He's gotten to the quarterback twice and contributed 17 total pressures for the Thundering Herd, which has started the year 3-3 under Charles Huff, a former Penn State assistant. Simmons has earned a 70.2 overall grade from PFF.

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