Veteran lineman no longer with Penn State football program, per report

Penn State football has experienced its first roster turnover of the spring. As of Thursday night, sixth-year senior offensive lineman JB Nelson was no longer listed on the Nittany Lions’ official roster.

Nate Bauer of Blue White Illustrated was the first to report the news. As of Friday morning, neither Nelson nor the Penn State football program have publicly confirmed the departure.

Nelson appeared in all 16 games for the Nittany Lions last fall. This spring, he was competing for the starting left guard spot with sophomore Cooper Cousins after Vega Ioane shifted to the right side of the line.

Checkout this NASTY combo block from Nick Dawkins & JB Nelson! They took the DT for a ride pic.twitter.com/RVkV25La4X

— LandonTengwall (@landon_tengwall) November 10, 2024

Out of Mount Lebanon High School, Nelson played his first two seasons at Lackawanna Community College. He was the No. 3 JUCO prospect in the country when he transferred to Penn State in 2022. Over the next three seasons, Nelson appeared in 31 games, making eight starts during the 2023 campaign.

At this time, it’s unclear if Nelson intends to enter the transfer portal or has a different plan in mind. The portal opens next Wednesday and will remain open for 10 days, until April 25. With 119 players on the roster following Nelson’s departure and 11 members of the 2025 recruiting class yet to enroll, Penn State football is bound to see more exits in the coming weeks to reach the NCAA’s 125-man limit.

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