Penn State football loses former top 100 defender to transfer portal

Penn State football is beginning to see the first departures from its roster with the spring transfer portal window officially opening on Wednesday. Redshirt freshman cornerback Jon Mitchell will be among the Nittany Lions looking for a new home.

Mitchell’s exit was first reported by On3’s Hayes Fawcett.

BREAKING: Penn State CB Jon Mitchell plans to enter the Transfer Portal, he tells @on3sports

The 6’0 185 CB was ranked as a Top 65 Recruit (No. 9 CB) the ‘24 Class per On3

Appeared in 6 games his true freshman season

4 years of eligibility remaining https://t.co/RlUbB6EMhS pic.twitter.com/VLGk2zIS9h

— Hayes Fawcett (@Hayesfawcett3) April 16, 2025

Mitchell appeared in six games as a true freshman, making five tackles. A standout at Mandarin High School near Jacksonville, Florida, Mitchell was the No. 62 prospect in the 2024 cycle, according to On3.

Penn State football transfer portal tracker

Mitchell is the second name to enter the portal for Penn State football already this spring. Offensive lineman JB Nelson became the first Nittany Lion to enter the transfer portal this spring after leaving the program last week.

“Once again, it’s really kind of a ‘no surprises’ discussion. What I mean by that [is], if a player has any issues or concerns, we want them to come in and talk to us,” Franklin said Tuesday of the Nittany Lions’ portal approach this spring. “We’ve talked already to the team about how we’re handling the 105 [NCAA’s new scholarship cap]. That was addressed before the first window. That was addressed before this window. So everybody’s on the same page.

Outgoing transfers

• JB Nelson, OL – Entered the transfer portal on April 14.
• Jon Mitchell, CB – Entered the transfer portal on April 16.

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