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Penn State adds former Oklahoma State defensive tackle Armstrong Nnodim

Mug-Shot 4x4by: Ryan Snyder01/06/26RyanSnyderOn3

Penn State has added another defensive lineman in the transfer portal, locking up former Oklahoma State defensive tackle Armstrong Nnodim following an official visit this past weekend. He’s the third defensive lineman to have signed with the Nittany Lions in the past 24 hours, joining defensive tackle Keanu Williams and defensive end Alex McPherson.

A native of Mesquite, Texas, Nnodim just completed his redshirt freshman season, giving him three more years of eligibility. In 12 games, he totaled 243 snaps at defensive tackle, according to Pro Football Focus, finishing with 11 tackles, two tackles for loss and a sack. He’s ranked No. 635 nationally in the Transfer Portal Rankings.

“I want him to go be a leader of a business or a corporation, but you just look at him, you’d say he’ll be a lifetime bouncer at the doorway of a bar,” said Oklahoma State interim head coach Doug Meacham back in November. “He’s a scary dude now. He comes in there, he’s yoked up. I wouldn’t want any piece of that guy.”

While sitting out the entire 2024 season to redshirt, Nnodim put on somewhere around 40 pounds, climbing from roughly 250 to 290 pounds. He reportedly bench-pressed 475 last offseason, while also maxing out at 675 pounds for the squat and 365 pounds for the power clean.

Nnodim’s strength was a major reason why his snaps grew throughout the season. He played a season high 45 against Houston in October, then played 37 snaps against Matt Campbell and his staff at Iowa State in the season finale. That up close look at Nnodim’s potential played a big role in the Nittany Lions pursuing him.

Coming out of Horn High School, Nnodim earned a three-star rating. He visited many of the region’s top schools – Baylor, Oklahoma, TCU, Texas, to name a few – but the Cowboys ended up being his only Power Four scholarship offer. Combined, he totaled 135 tackles, 56 tackles for loss and 29 sacks during his final two seasons of high school ball.

On Sunday, Penn State added defensive tackle Alijah Carnell from Iowa State. Like Nnodim, he also played as a redshirt freshman, totaling 123 snaps for the Cyclones last season. The Nittany Lions have now added 23 players via the portal since Saturday.