Like every other program, Penn State will be looking to the transfer portal for help in 2026, and the University of Pittsburgh might be a place to find it.
Pitt’s Kenny Johnson, who plans to enter the portal, has established himself as a quality Power Four player, having amassed 94 catches for 1,232 yards and eight touchdowns over the last two seasons.
Johnson has also been dangerous on special teams, having two returns for touchdowns over his career, including a 100-yarder against North Carolina in 2023.
To add to this, Johnson is a PA native who grew up closer to State College than Pittsburgh, so, yeah, he’d make sense for Penn State for a variety of reasons.
‘I WAS MORE SHOCKED THAN ANYTHING’
Courtesy Kenny Johnson
Johnson is familiar with Penn State, having received an offer in Oct. 2021.
Nittany Sports Now talked with Johnson soon after he got that offer.
”I’ve always wanted to play college football, but to receive an opportunity to play on that big of a stage, it’s just amazing,” Johnson told NSN. “Being there for their ‘Stripe Out’ Game with over 105,000 people there and imagining that I could possibly be there playing in front of that, an offer like that carries a little more weight.”
”I was more shocked than anything just because of the way it happened. I haven’t gotten an offer face-to-face yet, so this was very different and a lot more exciting and shocking than getting one over the phone.”
Add Nittany Sports Now as a preferred source in Google! Click here to add us.Penn State was a strong contender for Johnson, with him visiting several times.
But ultimately, he picked Pitt.
So does Penn State have a good chance to land him?
WHY PENN STATE MAKES SENSE
Penn State is going to need help at receiver with 2025 transfer portal additions Kyron Hudson, Devonte Ross and Trebor Pena all out of eligibility. How much help Penn State needs depends on what happens with young receivers Koby Howard and Tyseer Denmark.
Howard’s Twitter profile and Denmark’s post-Pinstripe Bowl reaction have people curious about what those two will decide to do.
There will also be a lot of receivers in the portal who would be interested to play at Penn State, and new receivers coach Noah Pauley, who has helped receivers such as Jayden Higgins, Jaylin Noel and Christian Watson reach the NFL.
Stay tuned to Nittany Sports Now for more transfer portal updates.
