While everyone else is chasing five-star portal darlings and overpaying for established starters, Penn State head coach Matt Campbell is identifying undervalued talent and betting on his staff’s ability to develop them into something special. The Nittany Lions have secured their 21st transfer portal commitment since the window opened on January 2.

He has landed former Colorado defensive end Alexander McPherson after a visit to State College. McPherson’s agent confirmed the commitment to ESPN. It marked the third defensive lineman to join Matt Campbell’s rebuild alongside Iowa State’s Alijah Carnell and UCLA’s Keanu Williams. The 6-foot-6, 240-pound true freshman from Stuart, Florida, spent just one season in Boulder before hitting the portal. But that brief stint was enough to catch the attention of Matt Campbell’s evaluation staff. 

McPherson arrived at Colorado as a three-star recruit from national powerhouse IMG Academy in Bradenton, Florida. During his senior year at IMG, he put up serious production with 52 tackles, 14 tackles for loss, nine sacks, six quarterback hurries, two pass breakups, and two forced fumbles. He led the program in both sacks and tackles for loss. That high school resume translated immediately to the college level, even in limited opportunities as a true freshman. 

McPherson appeared in 10 games for Deion Sanders’ Buffaloes, logging 202 defensive snaps and 53 special teams snaps while tallying 16 tackles, six quarterback hurries, half a sack, and half a tackle for loss. What makes this addition so special is that McPherson doesn’t arrive with fanfare or hype. He’s a developmental piece with three years of eligibility remaining and serious upside if coached properly. That’s the kind of player Campbell has consistently turned into NFL Draft picks throughout his tenure at Iowa State. 

And it’s the blueprint he’s importing to Penn State as he rebuilds a defensive line that needs fresh blood. It’s the same approach that landed Jaden Higgins from Eastern Kentucky and Jalen Travis from Princeton, neither of whom were household names when they arrived in Ames. But they left as Day 2 NFL picks after thriving in Campbell’s system.​

During his introductory press conference at Penn State, Campbell laid out his transfer portal philosophy. “Transfer portal has become a unique advantage, probably in some ways, and sometimes can be a disadvantage,” he explained. “We have a process. We know what we’re looking for in the transfer portal and have to use that to continue to supplement our football team. Nobody will be better at developing our student-athletes and our high school football players better than us.”

With 21 commitments in just four days and counting, Campbell is methodically rebuilding the Nittany Lions roster with players who either know his system or fit the exact developmental profile he’s been exploiting for years.

Why the McPherson pickup matters more than you think

The thing about the Alexander McPherson commitment that’s flying under the radar is that it directly contradicts the narrative that Campbell is just building “Iowa State East” in Happy Valley. When Penn State landed its first 19 transfer portal commitments exclusively from Ames, critics rightfully questioned whether Campbell understood the difference between competing in the Big 12 and battling Ohio State and Oregon for Big Ten supremacy. 

The Curt Cignetti comparison isn’t unfair. When Cignetti brought 13 JMU players to Indiana, he supplemented them with 18 additional transfers from across the country, including MAC Offensive Player of the Year Kurtis Rourke. That diversification created an All-Big Ten roster with five selections and eight honorable mentions. It proved that Cignetti could identify undervalued talent beyond just his comfort zone. 

McPherson, along with UCLA’s Keanu Williams, who committed the day before, shows that Campbell is finally looking beyond the Iowa State ecosystem and evaluating players based on fit rather than familiarity.​

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