Penn State Football: Slade To Transfer, Join Rahne, At Old Dominion

Former Penn State running back Ricky Slade will transfer to Old Dominion, reuniting with former offensive coordinator Ricky Rahne in Virginia.

Slade announced his decision on Friday from his Twitter account. A former five-star recruit out of Virginia, the running back entered the transfer portal this past February after his second season in Happy Valley. He joins Rahne in Norfolk, who is now the Monarchs’ head coach.

The Virginia native was expected to have a productive sophomore campaign last fall but for various reasons struggled to make a meaningful and consistent impact in a crowded and young running back room. Slade finished with 47 carries for 214 yards and two scores, while Journey Brown and Noah Cain quickly became the most productive members of the position group. 

Despite not having as big a year as he might’ve expected, Slade did make a few big plays as a receiver out of the backfield in 2019. His departure will certainly hurt the position group’s depth, but Brown and Cain are still poised to have productive seasons this fall. Devyn Ford will also add value to the rotation, while freshmen Caziah Holmes and Keyvone Lee will add depth. 

Slade is now the fifth player to transfer away from Happy Valley just this year, along with Daniel Joseph, Mac Hippenhammer, Damion Barber, and Hunter Kelly. 

The running back also becomes the second of three five-star prospects from Penn State’s 2018 recruiting class to transfer. Former five-star wide receiver Justin Shorter transferred to Florida in December after a somewhat underwhelming redshirt freshman season in Happy Valley. This leaves linebacker Micah Parsons as the only five-star remaining from that class.