A Penn State defender plans to enter the transfer portal.
On the afternoon of Monday, Dec. 9โ the first day the portal openedโ T.A. Cunningham told Hayes Fawcett of On3Sports that he plans on entering the portal after one season with Penn State.
Like most true freshman, Cunningham didnโt get a much playing time in Year 1. He didnโt appear in any of Penn Stateโs 12 regular season games or the Big Ten Championship against Oregon this past Saturday.
Penn Stateโs defensive tackles have been solid most of the season, led by starters Zane Durant and Dvon J-Thomas.
A BLUE-CHIP RECRUIT
These days, the word โdawgโ is thrown around in a lot of descriptions of football players but Penn State footballโs latest commit doesnโt seem himself as a โdawg.โ
So how doesย Cunninghamย see himself?
โI would say, โA wolfโ because I like to eat dogs,โ he told Nittany Sports Now the night before he announced his commitment. โSo when I step on the field, regardless of the condition Iโm in, whatever, Iโm going to give it 100 percent of what I have. So Iโm going to leave it all out on the field.โ
Cunningham announced his commitment to Penn State July 22, 2023. He had 62 offers per 247Sports, and told NSN about how Penn State saw his versatility.
โWhen talking to the coaches and talking to everybody on the coaching staff, they look at T.A. Cunningham; they donโt look at a defensive tackle or a defensive end,โ he said. โThey see a defensive lineman. And, I feel like, especially with the direction the gameโs heading towards, a lot of these players, everyoneโs starting to kind of become some type of hybrid. You kind of have to be able to do multiple things on the field in order to be successful. So, I feel like, just having that athletic skillset to where Iโm physical enough to play inside and athletic enough to make a twist outside or start outside and twist inside, I feel like those traits really make me different.โ
NOT IDEAL
Photo by Matt Lynch, Nittany Sports Now: Deion Barnes
Penn Stateโs situation at defensive tackle already isnโt ideal. Itโs going to become even more challenging next season. This year, Penn State lost sixth-year DT Hakeem Beamon(no longer with program) and fifth-year Alonzo Ford (injury) within two weeks. After this season, Penn Stateโs projected to lose Zane Durant (NFL Draft) and a pair of sixth-years in Dvon J-Thomas and Coziah Izzard (out of eligibility). So, Cunningham going the transfer portal isnโt ideal for Penn State.
Penn State plays SMU in its first-ever College Football Playoff game Saturday, Dec. 21. Kickoff is scheduled for noon on TNT at Beaver Stadium.
