Top 10 transfer portal WR sets up visit with Penn State football

Next week is already setting up to be a busy one for James Franklin and Penn State football. In addition to welcoming SMU to Happy Valley for the opening round of the College Football Playoff, the Nittany Lions are now expected to host one of the top wide receiver talents currently available in the transfer portal.

On3’s Hayes Fawcett reported on Wednesday afternoon that former FIU standout Eric Rivers is set to be in State College on December 19-20. The visit is the third of four that the redshirt senior has planned. Rivers will check out Miami this Friday and Saturday, followed by Nebraska on Sunday and Monday. He will then head from central Pennsylvania to Colorado next weekend.

NEWS: FIU Transfer WR Eric Rivers has locked in the following visits, per his agency @bzsportsmgmt

Miami: December 13-14
Nebraska: December 15-16
Penn State: December 19-20
Colorado: December 21-22

Top 20 overall player in the Portal (On3 Industry)https://t.co/7gDQ5CTCNy pic.twitter.com/DDYS8SjKOK

— Hayes Fawcett (@Hayesfawcett3) December 11, 2024

Rivers announced he was entering the transfer portal last week after leading Conference USA in receiving yards and two touchdowns this season. Over the last two years with the Golden Panthers, Rivers has racked up 1,542 yards and 14 touchdowns on 94 receptions.

This is the second time Rivers has hit the portal, transferring to FIU from Memphis following the 2022 season. A cornerback and a special teams contributor for the Tigers during his true freshman season, Rivers missed all of 2022 with an injury.

Out of the McCallie School in Chattanooga, Tennessee, Eric Rivers was a three-star prospect in the 2021 cycle, per 247Sports. Rivers now finds himself as one of the top receiver talents available. The On3 Industry Rankings have him as the No. 21 overall prospect and the ninth-best receiver currently in the transfer portal.

“It’s hard to totally know what you want to do in the portal until you know exactly what’s going on with your current roster for next year,” James Franklin said Sunday. “But I’ve asked our staff to be aggressive and move and make some decisions in positions that we think we’re going to have some needs. So, we’ll have a better idea this week.”

Penn State football has lost defensive lineman TA Cunningham, tight end Jerry Cross, and receiver Feyisayo Oluleye so far in this transfer portal window. The Nittany Lions added six players from the portal last winter.

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