Penn State linebacker DaKaari Nelson will transfer to N.C. State, becoming 38th former Lion to pick a new school

Penn State linebacker DaKaari Nelson is the latest Nittany Lion to find a new home after entering the NCAA transfer portal. Nelson initially said that he was going to move on back on Jan. 3. After weighing his options, the Livingston, Ala., native is joining former teammate and safety King Mack at N.C. State, On3 reports.

Nelson would have been seeking to climb the depth chart at in 2026. This year will mark his fourth college season. He has bounced between safety and linebacker at Penn State, but has yet to break into the rotation at either spot. An injury in 2024 did not help his cause in that regard. Per PFF, Nelson has taken just 72 defensive snaps so far in his career. Only two of them came in 2025. However, he was on the field for 193 special teams snaps in 2025 and a total of 370 over the course of his career to date.

Which Penn State players have moved on?

The full list of 50, plus the destinations for those who already know where they are going, is below:

Quarterback (3):

Bekkem Kritza

Ethan Grunkemeyer – Virginia Tech

Jaxon Smolik – Temple

Running Back (3):

Corey Smith

Jabree Coleman – South Carolina

Tikey Hayes

Wide receiver (7):

Aaron Enterline – Towson

Anthony Ivey

Kaden Saunders – Southern Miss

Jeff Exinor – Virginia Tech

Josiah Brown

Tyseer Denmark – Virginia Tech

Matthew Outten – Syracuse

Tight End (4):

Joey Schlaffer – Temple

Luke Reynolds – Virginia Tech

Matt Henderson – Virginia Tech

Andrew Olesh – Oregon

Offensive Line (6):

TJ Shanahan – Florida

Alex Birchmeier – Liberty

J’Ven Williams – Charlotte

Eagan Boyer – Florida

Brady O’Hara

Michael Troutman – Virginia Tech

Defensive End (6):

Chaz Coleman – Tennessee

Daniel Jennings – Virginia Tech

Zuriah Fisher – USC

Jaylen Harvey – North Carolina

Cortez Harris – Virginia Tech

Mylachi Williams – Virginia Tech

Defensive Tackle (6):

Xavier Gilliam – Tennessee

Sam Siafa

Owen Wafle – Duke

Kaleb Artis – Temple

Randy Adirika – Virginia Tech

Enai White

Linebacker (5):

Kari Jackson

Keon Wylie – Virginia Tech

Anthony Speca – Purdue

DaKaari Nelson – N.C. State

Amare Campbell – Tennessee

Cornerback (3):

AJ Harris – Indiana

Elliot Washington II – Clemson

Kenny Woseley – Virginia Tech

Safety (7):

Braz Thomas

Karson Kiesewetter

Antoine Belgrave-Shorter – Arizona State

King Mack – N.C. State

Kolin Dinkins – Temple

Dejuan Lane – Tennessee

Lamont Payne Jr.