According to Pete Nakos of On3, Penn State EDGE Smith Vilbert has entered the NCAA transfer portal. Vilbert, who initially joined the Nittany Lions as part of the 2019 recruiting class under James Franklin, has spent six seasons with the team. Now, he is seeking a new program to finish his college football career. Due to a redshirt season, the impact of COVID-19, and an injury that kept him out of the 2023 season, Vilbert still has remaining eligibility. During his time at Penn State, he appeared in 35 games, tallying 20 tackles, 4.5 sacks, and eight tackles for loss. Vilbert also forced two fumbles last season—one in the season opener against West Virginia and another in the Big Ten Championship game against Oregon. “A guy that not a lot of people are talking about right now is Smith Vilbert,” Franklin said of Vilbert ahead of the 2024 spring game. “Smith is a guy that we think has the size and athleticism to play D-end and D-tackle this year and be a swing guy for us and we’re excited about him.” Vilbert played high school football at St. Joseph Regional in Montvale, New Jersey, where he was rated a three-star prospect. In the 2019 recruiting cycle, he was ranked No. 667 overall according to the On3 Industry Ranking, which incorporates evaluations from all four major recruiting media outlets.