Published Apr 14, 2025
Offensive Lineman JB Nelson Enters Transfer Portal After Departing Program
Happy Valley Insider
Staf

Late last week, Penn State sixth-year senior offensive lineman JB Nelson departed the program. Now, with the transfer portal set to open on Wednesday, Nelson will be entering the transfer portal as he searches to continue his collegiate career elsewhere.

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Nelson came to Penn State in 2022 from Lackawanna Community College. During his career at Penn State, Nelson played in 31 games including playing in all 16 games of the team's run to the College Football Playoff semi-finals last season.

Nelson was a starter when the 2023 season began, but was limited to 11 games and 8 starts due to injury. Despite this, Nelson still earned All-Big Ten honorable mention accolades in 2023.

While it was unclear if Nelson would start for the Nittany Lions this fall, he was expected to be feature prominently at right guard where he was battling with Cooper Cousins for the starting role. If Nelson chooses to move on and continue his college career elsewhere, he will have one year of eligibility remaining.

Losing Nelson is a blow to Penn State's offensive line depth, but Phil Trautwein's unit remains one of the deepest in the country. In addition to all the pieces that return, young offensive linemen such as J'ven Williams, Eagan Boyer, and Garrett Sexton have garnered praise and buzz this spring. The rise of these younger offensive linemen combined with the Nittany Lions returning five other offensive linemen with starting experience, the high expectations for Cousins in year two in the program, and the addition of TJ Shanahan who started games for Texas A&M last season still gives the Nittany Lions one of the deepest, most talented offensive line units in the country.