Clairton’s Lamont Wade says he will remain at Penn State

One of the most highly recruited players from the WPIAL in recent years is staying put in college.

Clairton’s Lamont Wade announced via his Twitter account Sunday night he is removing his name from the NCAA’s transfer portal and will remain at Penn State. A rising junior defensive back, Wade has been at University Park for two full years after enrolling as one of the top prospects in Pennsylvania’s incoming 2017 class.

Wade led Clairton to three consecutive WPIAL Class A championships and to the PIAA title game as a senior and was invited to the 2017 Army All-American game. But he has played sparingly on defense over his two seasons with Penn State and was moved from cornerback to safety.

Wade had 18 tackles and one sack in 2018. In 2019, the Nittany Lions need to replace graduating starting safety Nick Scott, and Wade is a candidate.

The NCAA added the transfer portal this year to allow football players who are considering leaving their school to put themselves out there to solicit information from other programs.

The full text of Wade’s tweet: “After long thoughts, prayers, and conversations, I’ve come to the decision that I will be removing my name from the transfer portal and continue to pursue my degree which I’m 3 semesters away from completing and getting back to work with my brothers. I look forward to making an impact on the field for the 2019 Penn State Nittany Lions. Sometimes we have to make short term sacrifices to achieve our long term goals, and I believe this is what’s best for me right now.”

Chris Adamski is a Tribune-Review staff writer. You can contact Chris at cadamski@tribweb.com or via Twitter @C_AdamskiTrib.