Rutgers Football adds Appalachian State transfer DL Rondo Porter
Rutgers Football is back on the board in the transfer portal, once again looking to rebuild a historically struggling defense.
The Scarlet Knights have added former Appalachian State defensive lineman Rondo Porter, the program announced Wednesday.
Porter will have one year of eligibility remaining at Rutgers, his fifth school in as many years. He is currently ranked as the 14th-best defensive tackle in the transfer portal, according to On3’s portal rankings.
Rutgers fans MUST take advantage of this deal, Get 50% off The Knight Report now!
Listed at 6-foot and 295 pounds, Porter hails from Columbia, South Carolina, and played for Heathwood Hall Episcopal High School in his prep years. He then enrolled at Division II Lenoir-Rhyne as a 2022 recruit. After one season, he transferred to Division II Newberry College in 2023, where he redshirted. He then wound up at South Carolina in 2024 and Appalachian State this past season in 2025.
As a redshirt junior in 2025, Porter played in all 13 games at defensive tackle and finished the year with 43 total tackles (18 solo), five tackles for loss, and two sacks, while earning All-Sun Belt Conference honorable mention. He was even credited with four passes broken up, especially impressive for a defensive lineman at his size.
According to Pro Football Focus, he posted a 79.1 overall defensive grade, 81.0 rush defense grade (77th among 911 DTs), and a pass rush grade of 74.9 (54th among 911 DTs). He posted his highest-graded game of the season against CFP qualifier James Madison, where he had a grade of 81.1 overall.
Porter becomes the fifth transfer portal addition to Rutgers’ 2026 roster, and the fourth on the defensive side as head coach Greg Schiano looks to rebuild that side of the ball. Three of the commits have come on the defensive line alone, as Porter joins former Maine defensive lineman Jaedin Lee and former Toledo defensive end Malachi Davis in the trenches.
💬 Wondering what other Rutgers fans are saying?
Head to The Round Table and jump into the discussion →
