Penn State coach James Franklin lost a key cog in the trenches upfront today when sixth-year senior offensive lineman JB Nelson announced his intentions to enter the transfer portal. The 6-foot-5, 325-pound prospect will have just one year of eligibility reminding wherever he lands.

Nelson’s departure comes as a bit of a surprise after he announced in January that he would indeed return to University Park for his final collegiate season. Still, news began to circulate recently that Nelson was no longer appearing on the Nittany Lions roster, which put the proverbial writing on the wall.

Nelson, who spent time at both guard and tackle, seemed primed to compete for a starting spot next season after appearing in all 16 games for Penn State in 2024.

Nelson originally committed to Penn State in the 2022 class but spent his first two years at Lackawanna College. Back then he picked the Nittany Lions over Maryland, N.C. State, Ole Miss and West Virginia, among others.

Stay locked in on the Rivals Transfer Tracker to keep up with the latest transfer news, portal entries, commitments, and rankings. For a deep-dive into the transfer portal, make sure you visit the Rivals Transfer Search page.

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The spring college football transfer portal window is scheduled to open on April 16th, 2025 for 10 days. It is the second transfer window of the 2025 recruiting cycle. The winter college football transfer portal window opened on December 9th, 2024 for 20 days. There was also a five-day window for players to transfer after their team finished postseason play. Additionally, players get a 30-day window to transfer when their head coach leaves.