Penn State punter reportedly enters NCAA transfer portal

STATE COLLEGE — A Penn State punter has reportedly entered the NCAA transfer portal, which could signal some roster movement for the Lions after a relatively quiet spring.

Freshman Levi Forrest, who appeared in two games for Penn State in 2020, has entered the NCAA transfer portal and will look to continue his career elsewhere, 247Sports reported Wednesday.

Forrest, a preferred walk-on, attempted onside kicks in fourth quarters of losses to Ohio State and Maryland last fall in the only action of his true freshman season.

He came to Penn State out of Richlands (Va.) High School, and he was rated as the No. 6 punter in the Class of 2020 by Kohl’s Kicking Camps. Forrest kicked a 59-yard field goal during his senior season at Richlands, and he was also a high school soccer player.

Forrest was called ” a can’t miss D1 punting prospect ” in a Kohl’s Kicking scouting report.

Forrest’s reported entrance into the transfer portal comes the day after Penn State got the commitment of Alex Bacchetta, who is rated as the No. 1 punter in the Class of 2022 by Kohl’s Kicking.

The Lions currently have kicker/punter Jordan Stout, punters Bradley King and Barney Amor and kickers Jake Pinegar, Rafael Checa and Vlad Hilling as the specialists on their roster. Stout, a fifth-year senior, is slated to be Penn State’s top punter in 2021. He averaged 41.5 yards per punt in 2020.

Sander Sahaydak, another highly regarded specialist, is slated to arrive on campus next month as a member of the Class of 2021.

Forrest is the first Penn State player to enter the transfer portal since spring practice ended about a month ago, and he’s the first player to enter the transfer portal since senior defensive end Shane Simmons and freshman cornerback Joseph Johnson III announced their departures in April.