Penn State veteran defensive lineman no longer with the program

As spring camp nears, Penn State will be without a veteran defensive lineman.

Defensive tackle Jordan van den Berg is no longer on the roster, a team spokesperson confirmed to PennLive on Thursday night. The news of his exit was first reported by on3.

Van den Berg, who was not present at Thursday’s “max out” weight lifting session, is expected to enter the transfer portal, which will reopen on April 15 for a 15-day window.

Van den Berg, a former junior college standout at Iowa Western, was a member of Penn State’s 2021 recruiting class. The 6-foot-3, 310-pound South Africa native played in 13 games in 2022 and 11 games in 2023 as a reserve defensive tackle.

Departures were expected. Penn State had only four scholarship players exit via the winter transfer portal: wide receiver Dante Cephas (Kansas State), athlete Cristian Driver (Minnesota), punter Alex Bacchetta (Rice), and offensive lineman Ibrahim Traore (Buffalo).

Before van den Berg’s exit, Penn State was set to enter spring with 99 scholarship players — 14 over the limit that needs to be hit by the start of the season.

The defensive tackle room is strong even without van den Berg. Dvon Ellies, Hakeem Beamon and Coziah Izzard decided to return, linking up with junior Zane Durant.