Penn State Football Begins Spring Practice With an Intriguing Transfer Class

Penn State landed six transfer players from the winter portal, a group headlined by projected starting wide receivers Kyron Hudson and Devonte Ross. The group has had a few months to acclimate to the Penn State football program as it begins preparing for the 2025 season.

Penn State coach James Franklin could dip back into the portal during the April window, but for now he has six new veterans to work with alongside his new 2025 recruits. Strength coach Chuck Losey recently gave some insight into how Penn State’s recent additions fared during offseason workouts, mentioning Ross, the former Troy wide receiver. All six will be players to watch when Penn State begins spring practice Tuesday.

Penn State’s 2024 roster experienced the longest season in program history, playing a taxing 16 games and coming within just a few plays of a 17th. So when their grueling season was complete, the 2025 returners got some necessary time to reset.

“Normally, during this time of the year I’ve got anywhere from six to seven weeks to really be aggressive with the guys before we get up to a test week,” Losey said during a recent media availability in State College. “But we took a little bit of a different approach, we concentrated a little bit more on recovery, regeneration for those first two weeks. Really getting their bodies back under them.”

Of course, that recovery period was necessary only for the 2024 Nittany Lions. The group of six transfer portal additions had added time to get settled. And they’ve already been impressive in the weight room, adding needed size to become contributors on a Big Ten squad that expects to make another College Football Playoff run next season.

“All of [the transfers] have been outstanding,” Losey said. “I think we’ve done a great job at identifying guys in the transfer portal, obviously guys that we need to help us on the field, but also guys that fit our culture and fit our team.”

Specifically, Losey spent extra time praising Ross, who posted 1,043 receiving yards and 11 touchdowns at Troy last season. Ross was listed on the Trojans’ roster page at 5-11, 161 pounds in 2024. According to Losey, Ross already has added 16 pounds since arriving at Penn State.

“Ross has thrived in the program,” Losey said. “I was surprised at how strong and powerful he is for his size. … He’s not a large-frame guy. But he’s thrived in the sense that he’s taken advantage of all the resources that we offer.”

The goal with Ross, in his fourth college season, is to maintain his speed but with added muscle to absorb hits and make it through a long season. Currently, Ross appears primed to lead Penn State’s receiver room alongside Hudson.

“He’s already a very-good-to-elite mover on film; we knew what we were bringing in,” Losey said. “But we needed a little bit more of a robust body for him to put up for the duration of the season.”

Former Troy Trojans wide receiver Devonte Ross returns a punt 77 yards for a touchdown against the Iowa Hawkeyes in 2024. | Jeffrey Becker-Imagn Images

As for Hudson, Losey called the USC transfer a “mature, fluid, good football player.” Pass rusher Enai White and defensive lineman Owen Wafle have added muscle mass since joining the Nittany Lions, while offensive lineman T.J. Shanahan has focused on redeveloping his body composition, Losey said.

Rounding out the winter transfer additions is safety King Mack, a familiar name in Happy Valley. Mack spent his first collegiate season at Penn State, transferred to Alabama for the 2024 season, then landed back with the Nittany Lions a few months ago. With some offseason shakeups in the safety room, Mack could play a more significant role. But his mentality is what has benefitted Penn State the most thus far.

“It’s awesome to have King Mack back,” Losey said. “His energy, his work ethic, it’s infectious to the rest of this team. So really happy to have him back.”

Penn State's Blue-White Game is scheduled for April 26 at Beaver Stadium.

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