Penn State football making move for star recruit of Big Ten rival in transfer portal, per reports

Penn State football is looking to make a run at a Big Ten foe’s top recruit from last cycle, according to reports this week. James Franklin and the Nittany Lions are among the first schools to express interest in Michigan State redshirt freshman defensive end Bai Jobe, who entered the transfer portal on Wednesday. Jobe was a highly coveted edge rusher in the 2023 cycle and is quickly becoming a top prospect in the spring portal window.

Penn State football “showing interest” in ex-Michigan State edge rusher Bai Jobe, per reports

It didn’t take long for ex-Michigan State defensive end Bai Jobe to become one of the hottest commodities on the transfer market. Within hours of entering the transfer portal on Wednesday, Jobe already had a growing list of potential suitors.

Per Collin Kennedy of Oklahoma’s 247Sports affiliate, Penn State football joined Arkansas, Mississippi State, and Kansas, among others, as the early group of teams showing interest in the former Spartan.

An initial group of schools showing interest in former Michigan State edge Bai Jobe, sources tell @247Sports:
– Penn State
– Arkansas
– Mississippi State
– Kansas
– Boston College
– Vanderbilt
– UTSA

Phone’s ringing constantly for the former 4️⃣⭐️ recruithttps://t.co/3rEcguByUR pic.twitter.com/kjCBL7TWIv

— Collin Kennedy (@CKennedy247) April 24, 2024

Originally from Senegal, Bai Jobe was a consensus four-star prospect in the 2023 cycle out of the Community Christian School in Norman. The top overall recruit for Michigan State in 2023, 247Sports rated Jobe as the No. 7 edge rusher in the class and the No. 1 player out of Oklahoma (No. 55 nationally).

James Franklin and Penn State football offered Bai Jobe in December 2021 under then-defensive line coach John Scott Jr. He never visited Happy Valley and chose the Spartans over finalists Alabama and Oklahoma. Jobe redshirted this fall, recording two tackles in his only appearance of the season.

Will the Nittany Lions bring in a veteran SEC defender?

There’s been no movement in or out for Penn State football in the second week of the spring transfer portal window. The only related news came Wednesday evening, when ex-Nittany Lions wide receiver KeAndre Lambert-Smith committed to Auburn. 

Similar to Bai Jobe, James Franklin and the Nittany Lions were one of the early teams to express interest in ex-Tennessee linebacker Elijah Herring. Penn State did not offer Herring out of high school. 

As of last week, Franklin and the Penn State football staff were reportedly looking to set up a visit with Herring. That hasn’t happened yet, although Herring did visit Colorado last weekend. More visits are expected for the ex-Volunteer, who led the team with 76 tackles last fall.

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