The Penn State Nittany Lions have had a great week in the transfer portal. Head coach James Franklin has been able to land a lot of high-quality talent to help this team compete in the Big Ten. Another top prospect committed today when former Georgia cornerback AJ Harris announced he is coming to Happy Valley.
🚨BREAKING: Georgia transfer CB A.J. Harris has committed to Penn State, @PennStateOn3 reports.
He is a former Top-40 recruit from the 2023 class.https://t.co/cGZSaw382Q pic.twitter.com/tE8M6kNjWr
— Transfer Portal (@TransferPortal_) January 11, 2024
Penn State Lands CB AJ Harris
According to 247, Harris was ranked as the No. 2 cornerback and the No. 8 player in the portal. In the 2023 cycle, he was a composite five-star prospect and top-30 nationally. He did appear in seven games and tallied eight tackles but his playing time fell off at the end of the season causing him to look elsewhere. For Penn State, Kalen King, Daequan Hardy, and Johnny Dixon are all likely NFL-bound bound so Harris is a massive boost for the program. They will need talent if they are finally going to take down the top programs in the Big Ten.
2024 Outlook
There is a lot of pressure on Franklin and his staff in 2024. The Nittany Lions always seem to be ranked in the top 15 nationally but when it comes time to play Michigan or Ohio State, they cannot pull off the upset. In many cases, they are not even in the game. Franklin has to show that he can win the biggest games on the schedule or the program will be stuck in mediocrity for years to come.
Penn State is landing top-tier talent. Can they translate it into wins in 2024?