Penn State DL Transfer Daniel Jennings Locks In Visit To Virginia Tech

Virginia Tech continues adding transfer portal targets to its evergrowing list of transfer portal visitors. This time, it's Penn State edge rusher Daniel Jennings, who is coming off his true freshman season at Penn State. The news was initially reported by 247Sports' reporter Kolby Crawford.

Penn State transfer DL Daniel Jennings plans to visit Virginia Tech, he tells me for @247Sports.

Read: https://t.co/9byywnRxZl pic.twitter.com/QnUoKkllnt
— Kolby Crawford (@kolby_crawford) January 2, 2026

A member of the 2025 class, Jennings was the top player in his home state of West Virginia and a top 400 player nationally according to the 247Sports Composite rankings. Jennings locked in on Penn State early in his recruitment, visiting one other school - West Virginia - just once for a camp.

Jennings, initially a 2026 graduate, opted to reclassify and land at Penn State a year early and redshirt, preserving his four years of eligibility before entering the portal. He did not see any game action for the Nitanny Lions this year.

A native of Princeton, West Virginia, Jennings arrived at Penn State standing 6-foot-1 and 257 pounds, but has likely put on more weight since then. He likely projects more as a pass-rushing interior lineman now. Should the Hokies land him, he would likely be more of a developmental piece than a contributor in 2026. The coaching staff will likely want to see how his body develops and where he is more likely to fit on the defensive line.

Jennings was a two-way player in high school, showcasing his extreme athletic ability. In high school, he racked up ten sacks as a senior with 12.5 tackles for loss with double digit sacks as a junior as well (I could not find an exact number). Offensively, he rushed for over 1,300 yards while scoring 23 touchdowns on the ground along with 225 receiving yards and five more scores.

He comes from one of West Virginia's top high school football programs, going 24-3 in his final two seasons with two state championship losses. Of note, his high school played a playoff game during his junior season where the two teams combined for 143 points. It was a 73-70 win for Princeton.

The hire of Sean Spencer has already begun to pay off as the Hokies are going after top defensive line targets in the portal. Jennings would be a fantastic developmental grab and is somebody who could have a long and successful career with Virginia Tech if he develops the way the coaching staff hopes that he will.

We will have more as this story develops.

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