Penn State’s first dip into the Transfer Portal this offseason comes in the form of one of the bowl season’s biggest standouts. The Nittany Lions landed a commitment from former Western Kentucky wide receiver Mitchell Tinsley on Friday evening.
Tinsley is coming off of seven-catch, 103-yard, two-touchdown performance in the Boca Raton Bowl against Appalachian State on Dec. 18. He caught 87 passes for 1,402 yards and 14 touchdowns on the season. His 14 scores finished tied for fourth nationally among receivers.
Western Kentucky finished with the nation’s No. 1 passing offense and lost offensive coordinator Zach Kittley to Texas Tech in the offseason. Tinsley had eight touchdowns in the final five games of the season for the Hilltoppers, who finished 9-5 on the season. Teammate Jerreth Sterns led the nation in receiving with 150 catches for 1,902 yards and 17 scores. Sterns has entered the 2022 NFL Draft.
The 6-foot-1, 205-pound Tinsley played two games against Big Ten competition in 2021, catching four passes for 68 yards against Indiana in September and grabbing seven balls for 127 yards a week later against Michigan State. He had a season-high 10 catches for 198 yards and two scores in a win over Rice in November, earning Capital One Orange Bowl Player of the Week honors that week.
The Lees Summit, Mo., native, played two seasons at Hutchinson Community College in Kansas before transferring to Western Kentucky in 2020. He caught 57 passes for 656 yards and four touchdowns at the junior college level. He will have one year of eligibility to use at Penn State.
He played in all 12 games his first season at Western Kentucky in 2020, starting nine. He had a team-high 43 catches for 377 yards and four touchdowns and served as the team’s punt returner for part of the season. He finished his Western Kentucky career with 130 catches for 1,779 yards and 18 touchdowns over 26 games.
Penn State focused on wide receiver as a top priority in the Portal this offseason. The Nittany Lions will lose All-American Jahan Dotson to the NFL in 2022 and will welcome back a pair of returning starters in Parker Washington and KeAndre Lambert-Smith. Wide receivers coach Taylor Stubblefield addressed the matter on National Signing Day.
“In terms of the transfer portal, we’re not looking for somebody just to add depth,” he said. “We’re going to look for somebody who can be dynamic. And we want somebody who has shown production, you want somebody who is ideally is leaving on good terms. And so you’re just trying to find somebody who’s going to also be the best fit because I feel like I’ve got a pretty good room.”
Tinsley is the Nittany Lions’ first commitment out of the Transfer Portal this offseason. Last year, Penn State landed commitments from FBS transfers Arnold Ebiketie, Derrick Tangelo, John Lovett, Eric Wilson and Johnny Dixon.
