Penn State Nittany Lion OL JB Nelson has entered the transfer portal and has caught the attention of multiple schools looking to beef up their offensive line. Where could the 6’5″, 326-pound offensive lineman play next season? Let’s look at several potential landing spots.
Penn State OL JB Nelson Enters Portal, Set To Visit A Number Of Schools
After the QB, the offensive line is the most important position group for any college football team. You will go as far as your offensive line takes you, so it is imperative that you have skills across the line, along with depth. Any time a promising OL prospect enters the transfer portal, teams jump at the opportunity to add him to their roster.
It’s been no different for former Nittany Lion OL JB Nelson, who was no longer on the Penn State roster on their website as early as April 11, with the portal opening up Wednesday, April 16.
The sixth-year senior would be an intriguing prospect for any team looking to beef up their offensive line. Appearing in 31 games, starting eight of them for the Nittany Lions since 2022, he will bring a veteran offensive line presence to whatever school he chooses next.
247Sports reports that the Pittsburgh native is expected to visit Georgia Tech, Virginia Tech, Maryland, and Syracuse.
After winning one of the starting guard spots for the Nittany Lions in 2023, he would go on to be named All-Big Ten Honorable Mention after only starting in 8 games due to injury and illness.
In 2024, he would go on to appear in all 16 games for a Penn State offense that would go on to average 33.1 points per game. Rushing for 3,237 yards on the ground for the 5th most in the country, to go along with 35 touchdowns, which would rank 9th most in the country.
Running the football was a vital part of the offense for both Georgia Tech and Virginia Tech last year, who ranked second and fifth, respectively, in rushing for the ACC.
Syracuse, which finished second-to-last in the conference in rushing, relied more heavily on its pass game. Under Kyle McCord, who finished 10th in the 2024 Heisman Voting, Syracuse finished first in the ACC in passing.
With how competitive college football has become over the last couple of years with NIL and the transfer portal, teams will do anything they can to get the edge on their competition to be able to compete at a high level.
College football moving to a 12-team playoff means more opportunities than ever before for teams to compete for a national championship. But also now more than ever do you have to be able to dominate the trenches if you want any shot at competing at that level.
A team like Georgia, which has dominated college football for the last handful of years, has unsurprisingly been dominant on the offensive line over that time. The two teams we saw meet up in the national championship this past season, Notre Dame and Ohio State, have two of the best offensive lines in the country.
JB Nelson will add some experience, extra depth, and leadership to the offensive line of whatever school he chooses. The former JUCO standout at Lackawanna Community College was a former 4-star prospect in the Junior College ranks and the 3rd overall JUCO prospect in the class of 2022.
Nelson has shown the versatility to play both guard and tackle on the line. Not limited to only one spot, he will be able to go in and compete right away.
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