Linebacker Fortt latest of Penn State players to transfer
Khairi Fortt, who was expected to challenge Glenn Carson for Penn State's starting middle linebacker job, reportedly has announced he is transferring to California.
Linebacker Fortt latest of Penn State players to transfer
Joe Juliano
Five days before the start of pre-season practice, Penn State has seen more players leave a program that was clobbered with heavy sanctions by the NCAA because of the Jerry Sandusky scandal.
Junior tailback Silas Redd was the most significant player to leave, having announced Tuesday that he will be heading to Southern California. But reports Wednesday have disclosed the departure of two other players and the final destinations of two more.
The Stamford Advocate said junior Khairi Fortt, who was expected to battle Glenn Carson in camp for the starting job at middle linebacker, is going to California, a school he visited last weekend.
“This is what’s right for me and my family,” Fortt told the newspaper. The way you go through life is the way you handle adversity. Some people have different paths.”
Fortt sat out much of spring practice with a knee injury, and underwent surgery in late April
Also, former West Deptford High star Jamil Pollard, a defensive tackle who was to start his first year with the Nittany Lions, will be transferring to Rutgers, his high school coach told the News of Cumberland County.
As for quarterback Rob Bolden, Penn State’s opening-day starter the last two seasons, the New Orleans Times-Picayune said the junior will be at LSU for Wednesday’s first day of pre-season. Bolden visited the Tigers over the weekend.
It also was reported that backup tight end Kevin Haplea, a junior, would be heading to Florida State.
With reserve free safety Tim Buckley having transferred to North Carolina State, six players have departed from Penn State since the announced on July 23 of sanctions against Penn State that included a four-year bowl ban and a reduction in scholarships.
In imposing the penalties, the NCAA said any player could transfer from Penn State to another school without having to sit out a year.
Three other Penn State players who have talked with other schools about transferring are junior punter/kicker Anthony Fera, sophomore linebacker Mike Hull and junior running back Curtis Dukes. They have not made their decisions known as yet.
The Lions open pre-season camp on Monday.
This comment has been deleted.— Owner of Junod- What you see as a treasonous act against your school and football program is equal to the way I see you and your treasonous acts toward children who were abused and a school that not only covered it up, but because of the cover-up, facilitated the continuation of the acts. Your treason is against innocent children though, which makes me think a whole different level of low for you and your kind. — justacarpenter
- They've also lost OL Ryan Nowicki, who is considering Washington, Illinois and Arizona State.— sajtan
- Traitors are free to go. NOW... Just do it. Get it over with so WE can move on to the Mens football program.— Hatfield_ham
- Illinois was hampered in its recruitment at State College by the terms of the Mann Act which prevents them from bringing women across state lines for purposes of prostitution.— Claudio Vernight
- California is real powerhouse alright. He might get to play in the Irrelevant Bowl.— Justaschmuck
- Irrelevant Bowl vs. no chance at a bowl — hpesojc
- I still love PS football & will watch every game! O'brien is the right coach for this team and given time this program will be back!!!— bill poore
- Don't give the kids who leave a hard time. They didn't sign up for this. They obviously were in no way responsible for the situation they found themselves in. To demonize them as Benedict Arnolds or to criticize the schools that take them is just senseless. It's heartbreaking, but let the blame fall where it belongs. Not on teenage student-athletes who were playing for free anyway.— TongueWagger
- For someone who has three years left I can understand. For those like Redd, I don't.
— psuwelsh - You can't blame them for leaving. Why should they be punished--even peripherally--for something they had no hand in.
More typical thoughtless, ballless, mindless chatter from the same thoughless, ballless, mindless half-wits.— thewiseone - If you give your WORD, you stick to it.. Plain and simple...AND you could always transfer after this year and not get penailized.... SHAMEFUL....— elfman
- Today the NCAA Bigwigs are laughing and high fiving each other. It worked! Load up on the Sanctions so much that the Program dies without even giving the dreaded "Death Penalty"! With their 60 Million $ fine, they're also counting on Tuitions going up, to punish all Students. No one is content these days to just punish those responsible (1 Monster and 5 Scumbags). It's the "lets get em all" mentality. Surprised the NCAA didn't annex land, rule all degrees earned from Penn State from 1998 to 2011 rescinded, ordered the burning down of the Paterno Library and prison sentences for all PSU Professors. After all, they're innocent too! Sorry, had to get that off my chest. I agreed with everything the NCAA did to punish the program. Holding an auction on current Players was a bit excessive but the sanctions had to be severe. The healing for PSU and especially the Victims will take time. I wish all the best going forward and hope the lessons learned from this tragedy will prevent a similar occurrence, in any Institutional environment.— cooperhawk
- The NCAA is two-faced. They don't want schools to become a football factory and then you see all of the scum waiting to take the players that are left. I can see if the players went on their own but when coaches are sitting outside of campus then it should be an issue.— alihajishank
- This comment has been deleted.— mrjetsondc420
This season is Joe's fourth season on the paper's Penn State beat. He previously covered the Nittany Lions for United Press International from 1976 to 1984.
Emily Kaplan is the Inquirer’s fall intern covering the Nittany Lions. She is a senior at Penn State and has covered a variety of sports for the university’s student-run paper, The Daily Collegian. Over the last two years, she has reported for The Associated Press from State College.
A Montclair, N.J. native, she has also interned at MLB Network, NHL.com and covered the 2012 Olympics in London. Follow her on Twitter here @EKaplan24.
