Penn State Earns Transfer From Former Michigan DL Owen Wafle

Penn State just keeps making noise in the transfer portal in the days following the conclusion of a promising season. On Saturday, the Nittany Lions earned a commitment from former Michigan defensive tackle Owen Wafle, a native of Princeton, New Jersey.

The 6-foot-2, 298-pound Wafle joins former Texas A&M guard TJ Shanahan as James Franklin’s second addition in the two days since his team’s 27-24 Orange Bowl loss to Notre Dame in Thursday’s College Football Playoff semifinal.

Wafle, a former four-star recruit, did not appear in a game across his true freshman season in 2024. He has all four years of eligibility remaining.

Wafle provides depth and versatility to a defensive line that is set to depart starting defensive end Abdul Carter, who officially declared for the NFL Draft on Saturday, and sixth-year defensive tackle Dvon J-Thomas.

The Nittany Lions were low on tackle depth after Hakeem Beamon’s departure from the program in November and Alonzo Ford Jr.’s season-ending injury just weeks after. With starting tackle Zane Durant set to return and Ford and Coziah Izzard maintaining eligibility, Penn State has set itself up for a strong interior defensive line in 2025.

Wafle joins former Texas A&M defensive end Enai White as the Nittany Lions’ second defensive lineman to transfer in this cycle. Overall, Wafle is the team’s fifth transfer, and is set enter the program beside White, Shanahan and wide receivers Kyron Hudson (USC) and Devonte Ross (Troy).

Wafle is the older brother of one Penn State recruiting target Luke Wafle, a four-star defensive end who has visited the Nittany Lions twice over the past year.