With the 2026 NFL Draft already looming over the roster, Matt Campbell and his staff at Penn State have been juggling retention talks and resetting recruitment efforts. The unsettling fact is that the transfer portal, which opens on January 2, will determine how soon this rebuilding takes place. But it’s not just about the outs. The portal will also decide the ins for the Lions, which can include a highly productive WR.

Ohio WR Chase Hendricks announced his intention to enter the portal. This season, he totaled 71 receptions for 1,037 yards and 7 TD. Hendricks ended the season ranking 13th nationally in receiving yards. As per Penn State insider Dylan Dawsom, the new Penn State head coach, Matt Campbell, will get involved in taking the WR off the portal.

The timing couldn’t be more precise. Ohio was coming off a satisfying 9–4 season that ended in a hard-fought 17–10 Scooter’s Coffee Frisco Bowl win over UNLV, which was the program’s seventh straight bowl victory. Yet, Chase Hendricks managed to remind everyone who the driving force behind the passing game was, even in that victory, where the offense relied on Parker Navarro’s productive night and Sieh Bangura’s 149 rushing yards. Hendricks caught four passes for 87 yards.

Hendricks’ bowl performance helped him cross the season’s 1,000-yard threshold with 71 catches, 1,037 yards, and seven touchdowns. He quietly established himself as one of the most dependable receivers in the entire country, not just the MAC, averaging close to 80 yards per game and ranking 13th nationally in receiving yards.

The journey started with small beginnings in 2023, a steady climb in 2024, and a full-blown breakout in 2025. While Hendricks’ leap into the transfer portal creates ripples nationally, Penn State is already feeling the effects of early offseason shifts.

Portal rumblings and uncertainty at Penn State

The portal calendar might still say “early January,” but Penn State’s offseason drama has already begun to unfold. Decisions are emerging one by one, some heartbreaking and some expected. The Lions took an early hit when true freshman edge rusher Chaz Coleman announced he was entering the portal, a reminder that even young pieces aren’t immune in a transition year. This roster is already changing before the portal officially opens, when you consider that third-year junior corner Elliot Washington also intends to hit the portal.

Then there’s the NFL gravity pulling veterans away. The 2025 group is rapidly disappearing. Redshirt junior guard Vega Ioane, a first-team All-Big Ten honoree and projected first-round pick, has opted out of the Pinstripe Bowl to prepare for the 2026 NFL Draft. Nick Singleton is taking the same route, which is a significant choice given that he departs as Penn State’s all-time leader in all-purpose yards, total touchdowns, and running touchdowns.

Along with Dani Dennis-Sutton, Kaytron Allen, Drew Shelton, and others, Zakee Wheatley and Zane Durant are also skipping the bowl and accepting invitations to the Senior Bowl. This is the core of recent Penn State football, stepping aside all at once.

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That reality hits hardest in the WR room, where consistency has been shaky all season. Josiah Brown, Jeff Exinor Jr., and Lyrick Samuel are among the remaining pieces, but the departures are loud. Tyseer Denmark and Koby Howard entering the portal hits hard. Both were hyped internally, both shone in practice, but only Howard truly broke into the rotation late.

Now that Kyron Hudson, Devonte Ross, Trebor Pena, and other players have either left or moved on, Penn State’s receiving depth is limited. Because of this, the staff’s early decision to hire Noah Pauley, who had just developed Jayden Higgins and Jaylin Noel at Iowa State, seems strategic.

For Penn State, the early portal activity and NFL departures signal that Matt Campbell’s rebuild won’t wait. Hendricks’ decision, combined with other roster moves, highlights the critical role the portal will play in shaping Penn State’s 2026 season.