Penn State is set to enter 2021 with a slightly different offense. That may include a slightly different quarterback room.
One of the Nittany Lions’ four scholarship quarterbacks from the fall, freshman Micah Bowens, entered his name in the NCAA’s online transfer portal on Friday. Rivals.com first reported the development.
A member of Penn State’s 2020 signing class, Bowens was originally recruited by former Lions offensive coordinator Ricky Rahne and worked this year under Kirk Ciarrocca, who was fired and replaced last week by Mike Yurcich.
By formally entering the portal, Bowens is now able to be contacted by other schools as the Nevada native considers his options.
Bowens is the third Penn State player to use the portal this offseason, joining defensive tackles Antonio Shelton and Judge Culpepper, who have since left for Florida and Toledo, respectively. A fourth, offensive lineman C.J. Thorpe, has announced his intention to transfer with the hopes of playing defensive tackle.
One other scholarship player left during the season, as defensive back Trent Gordon has since transferred to Arkansas.
Bowens was a three-star prospect out of powerhouse Bishop Gorman High School. Though he checked in at just 5-foot-11, he checked two major boxes for what the Lions have looked for in their quarterback recruits — mobility and a history of winning, as he helped lead his team to a state championship.
He signed with the Lions in December, two weeks after Rahne had left to become head coach at Old Dominion and one week before Ciarrocca was formally hired to replace him as offensive coordinator and quarterbacks coach.
“Micah is a guy we identified very early on as a dynamic playmaker coming from a big time high school program,” Lions coach James Franklin said on that signing day. “Also, very impressed with his maturity. It’s amazing how many red-eyes he jumped on by himself to fly all the way across the country to come to camp or come compete in games or whatever it is. Pretty impressive as a high school aged student.
“Can make plays with his feet, can make plays with his arm, can make plays with his mind.”
Hands-on experience is typically limited for quarterbacks in their first year with a program, and that was likely exacerbated by the coronavirus pandemic. Ciarrocca didn’t have a chance to work directly with his quarterbacks until the end of the summer, and the most attention had to be paid to the top of the depth chart.
In his lone in-season media availability, Ciarrocca said it was hard to evaluate Bowens fairly until he got more time to work with him.
Should Bowens ultimately decide to leave, the Lions would be projected to have four scholarship quarterbacks on the roster for 2021 in fifth-year junior Sean Clifford, fourth-year sophomore Will Levis, third-year freshman Ta’Quan Roberson and incoming true freshman Christian Veilleux, who is set to enroll next week.
It remains to be seen how the addition of Yurcich to the staff will affect Penn State’s quarterback recruiting philosophy, or if it means the Lions will look at transfer candidates themselves.
More insight into the situation is forthcoming. Franklin has scheduled a season wrap-up news conference for Monday.