The Penn State Nittany Lions were recently linked to a former Colorado Buffaloes' standout EDGE in the transfer portal.
With the 2025 college football season officially in the books for the Penn State Nittany Lions, newly-hired head coach Matt Campbell will now begin to rebuild the program’s roster for the 2026 season after suffering a massive exodus of recruits this year.
According to CBS Sports’ Matt Zenitz, Penn State is one of four teams to be in the mix for former Colorado Buffaloes EDGE rusher Alexander McPherson.
As a three-star prospect in the 2025 recruiting cycle, McPherson was the No. 118-ranked defensive lineman in his class, as well as the No. 138 recruit in the state of Florida, per 247Sports’ Composite. McPherson received offers from multiple Power Five programs, including Oklahoma State, Indiana, and North Carolina State, but ultimately committed to head coach Deion Sanders and the Buffaloes.
In his freshman season with Colorado, McPherson was able to scrap some playing time in 2025, racking up 15 tackles and a half of a sack this year.
However, despite being a rotational pass rusher for the Buffaloes, McPherson clearly showed enough to draw interest from the Nittany Lions and other high-level FBS programs this offseason.
At 6-foot-6, 240 lbs., the Florida native possesses an ideal body frame for a defensive end, which makes him an intriguing transfer portal player. During his senior season at IMG Academy, McPherson jumped on the radar of many colleges, totaling 28 tackles and eight sacks in his final high school season.
While Campbell may not have any previous connections to McPherson, a young, developmental defensive end would be an excellent addition for the Nittany Lions. The struggling program lost a total of three EDGE rushers to the transfer portal this offseason, including former highly-touted recruit Chaz Coleman.
If Penn State can land McPherson in the transfer portal, he would become the school’s second defensive end commit in the 2026 class, alongside four-star EDGE Jackson Ford.
The Pennsylvania native was one of two recruits to sign with the program, and a foundation of Ford and McPherson would give Campbell a perfect core of young players within the trenches.
In addition to the Nittany Lions, Zenitz also mentioned that Ole Miss, Auburn, and Vanderbilt could be in the mix for McPherson.