West Virginia staff ‘really excited’ for Penn State football transfer’s potential in 2024

Two years after leaving the Penn State football program, Fatorma Mulbah is finally hitting his stride. Now as the Harrisburg native is set to begin his final college season against his former Nittany Lion teammates, the West Virginia coaching staff has high hopes for the Mountaineer defensive lineman.

“Now to see him push to potentially be a starter after what he did in the bowl game, I’m just really excited with what he’s going to bring to the table in a more consistent role,” West Virginia defensive line coach AJ Jackson said to WVSports’ Keenan Cummings this week.

Mulbah had the most productive season of his college career last fall, playing 237 snaps across 13 games for the Mountaineers. He finished 2023 with 25 tackles, including three for a loss. In December, Mulbah made the first start of his career in the Duke’s Mayo Bowl against North Carolina, recording three total tackles and half a sack.

Mandatory Credit: Ben Queen-USA TODAY Sports

Going into training camp, Mulbah was listed as the Mountaineers’ co-starting nose tackle alongside Hammond Russell on the West Virginia preseason depth chart released during Big 12 Media Days. Jackson’s comments from earlier in the week indicate that the former Nittany Lion is still very much in the mix for considerable playing time this fall.

During his three-year Penn State football career, Fatorma Mulbah appeared in 19 games, making four tackles. He entered the transfer portal three days after the Nittany Lions’ Rose Bowl victory in January 2023. The Susquehanna Township graduate was a top-ten player in Pennsylvania, according to 247Sports’ 2020 class rankings.

Mulbah and the Mountaineers will face off against his former squad in Saturday’s highly-anticipated season opener on FOX’s Big Noon Kickoff.

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