Former Wyomissing lineman to leave Penn State, enter transfer portal
New year, new team for J’ven Williams.
The former Wyomissing standout in planning to enter the NCAA transfer portal, according to numerous reports today.
Williams is one of nearly two dozen Penn State players expected to enter the portal, which opens Friday and remains open through Jan. 16.
The two-time All-State pick went to Penn State with high expectations, and as a top recruit. He was rated a 4-star prospect, ranked No. 40 nationally, as the No. 6 offensive tackle, and as the top player in Pennsylvania.
Three seasons with the Nittany Lions led to only limited playing time. He was redshirted as a true freshman in 2023 before appearing in all 16 games last season, mostly as a special teams contributor.
This season the 6-3, 315-pound redshirt sophomore played sparingly, appearing in only two games, both during non-conference games. Williams was a swing man, seeing time at both guard and tackle, but was never able to crack the starting lineup.
He leaves the program with two years of eligibility remaining.
At Wyomissing Williams went to two state championship games, started in a pair of District 3 title-game victories and was part of a senior class that finished 49-4.
He was twice named MikeDragoSports.com Diamond Credit Union Lineman of the Year.
Williams got his first high school start in the season-opener of his junior season. A few weeks later he put together an early highlight film. The college football recruiting world instantly went nuts over him when they saw it. Within a week he had eight major college offers, among them one from Penn State.
He was picked four times for Lineman of the Week honors; one of those selections came after Wyomissing’s 41-21 win at Southern Columbia, the Spartans snapping the nation’s longest winning streak.
Williams put his rare power and speed combination to work in the spring, too. As a junior he was the Berks Player of the Year in track and field after winning PIAA championships in the discus and shot put. He enrolled at Penn State in January of what was his senior year at Wyomissing and therefore did not defend his state championship.
Williams picked the Nittany Lions over offers from Boston College, Illinois, Kentucky, Michigan, Michigan State, Ole Miss, Pittsburgh, Rutgers, South Carolina, USC and Virginia Tech, among others.
