Report: Three more Lions enter transfer portal

According to SEC Network analyst Cole Cubelic, three more Nittany Lions have entered their name into the NCAA transfer portal: Lamont Wade, Brandon Polk and Zech McPhearson.

The most notable name is Wade, a safety from Clairton, Pa. A former five-star prospect, Wade played in all 12 games as a freshman, earning Big Ten All-Freshman honors by BTN.com. He totaled 31 tackles on the season, as well as three pass deflections and a forced fumble. However, his playing time on defense was much more limited in 2018. While Wade still managed to total 18 tackles, much of his time on defense came late in games.

As for Polk, he also appeared in nine games in 2018. He began the season as a starter, totaling at least 30 snaps in the first five games. However, as the season progressed, Polk played much more sparingly, totaling 19 snaps against Wisconsin, 0 snaps against Rutgers, one snap against Maryland and eight snaps in the Citrus Bowl. Polk played in al 13 games his freshman season. He then took a medical redshirt in 2016.

McPhearson, meanwhile, is a redshirt sophomore corner out of Maryland who played in all 13 games this past season as a backup. He finished with eight tackles on the year. He was a three-star prospect coming out of Riverdale Baptist in Maryland and the brother of Josh McPhearson, who finished his career with the Lions in 2017.

With the three latest announced scholarship transfers, the Nittany Lions are up to nine this offseason. The five other players are Juwan Johnson, Dae'lun Darien, Manny Bowen, Irvin Charles, Isaiah Humphries and Brelin Faison-Walden.

McPhearson has confirmed that he will be leaving Penn State following spring graduation.

"First and Foremost, I want to give thanks to God for the opportunity to attend and play for Penn State. I'd like to also thank Coach Franklin and his staff for taking me in and helping me develop these past 3 years. I've made life long friendships with incredible people. After long thought and talks with my family, I have decided to transfer following graduation this spring. I will forever be grateful for all the experiences along the way."