Photo by Scott Taetsch/Getty Images Portal commitment No. 1 is in! Penn State hosted three transfer portal players over the weekend for official visits, and the fruits of the labor are already showing as the Nittany Lions picked up a commitment from Division II offensive tackle Alan Herron. Penn State picks up its first transfer portal player of the offseason, landing a commitment from 6-foot-6, 310-pound, D-II OT Alan Herron. pic.twitter.com/wKYfiPEzsv— Black Shoe Diaries (@BSDtweet) December 11, 2023 Originally from Jamaica, Herron played his first two seasons of college football at Shorter University before deciding to enter the transfer portal at season’s end. He quickly picked up multiple Power Four offers from the likes of Auburn, Louisville, Miami, Clemson, and Texas Tech to just name a few. He had already taken a visit to Texas Tech and was slated to visit Clemson next week, but he apparently saw all he needed to see in Happy Valley, as he made the call for the Nittany Lions earlier on Monday. It’s not very often you see Penn State dive into the Division II ranks for a scholarship player. The last time that happened was Weston Carr back in 2019, who didn’t do a whole ton for the Nittany Lions. The difference with Herron though is that he has three years of eligibility remaining, which includes an unused redshirt season. In essence, he’s a JUCO who will have time to (hopefully) acclimate himself to Division I football before being called upon. Unlike other transfer portal targets, this isn’t a “one-and-done” type deal. Looking at the big picture for Penn State, he basically takes the tackle spot in the 2022 recruiting class that Maleek McNeil had. In an ideal situation, Herron will help with depth next season, while keeping his redshirt intact and then you figure things out from there — whether he stays as a pure tackle or is possibly someone who could move into guard if need be. The talent and upside is clearly there, but being a D-II player who didn’t grow up playing a ton of football, he’s still a raw player and an adjustment period is likely. Source: https://www.blackshoediaries.com/2023/1 ... lan-herron