16d ago football Edit

Penn State showing interest in Tennessee LB transfer Elijah Herring

Dylan Callaghan-Croley • Happy Valley Insider

Editor

The Penn State Nittany Lions are showing interest in Tennessee linebacker transfer Elijah Herring, Happy Valley Insider confirmed on Thursday with Herring.

Herring tells Happy Valley Insider that the Nittany Lions' reached out shortly after entering the transfer portal. There is the potential for Herring to visit with the Nittany Lions in the future.

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Herring leaves Knoxville after being a starter for the Volunteers in 2023 in 12 of 13 games following an injury to Volunteers middle linebacker Keenan Pili. Pili is expected to reclaim his starting spot in the middle of the Volunteers' defense this upcoming season, likely playing a factor in Herring's decision to leave the program.

Across 13 games, Herring recorded 80 tackles, 4.0 tackles for loss, and 0.5 sack. His 49 assisted tackles was the sixth most last year in the SEC while his 80 total tackles ranked 13th.

Penn State of course is not the only school showing interest in the former SEC starter as he'll be making a visit to Colorado this weekend starting on Friday. Deion Sanders will be tasked at replacing most of his defense once again in 2024 which could provide Herring with a great opportunity to start again this fall.

On top of his interest from Colorado and Penn State, Pittsburgh is also showing notable interest in the transfer linebacker.

Herring was originally a three-star recruit in the 2022 recruiting cycle, committing to the Volunteers over offers from Coastal Carolina, Kansas, Kentucky, Memphis, Missouri, Vanderbilt, and Virginia Tech.

For Penn State, Herring would potentially provide strong depth at the linebacker position. As of right now, the Nittany Lions would likely roll out a starting linebacker trio of Tony Rojas (WILL), Kobe King (MIKE), Dom DeLuca (SAM). However, the depth at the position across the board, especially when it comes to experience, gets thin quickly.

While veterans Dom DeLuca and Tyler Elsdon both return in 2024, the Nittany Lions will also be relying on multiple redshirt freshman or sophomores this fall in; Keon Wylie (R-SO), Ta Mere Robinson (R-FR) and Kaveon Keys (RS-FR). There is also Tyrece Mills, a once highly touted JUCO transfer who has struggled to find his footing at Penn State and has moved from linebacker to safety and now back to linebacker in his career.

While not a necessity, a potential additional linebacker addition such as Herring would certainly help the Nittany Lions' depth at the position and add another veteran to the room.