Penn State running back Ricky Slade entered the transfer portal on National Signing Day, sources told 247Sports. Slade signed with the Nittany Lions as the nation’s No. 1 all-purpose back in 2018 and was a five-star recruit in the 247Sports Composite rankings.

Slade compiled 588 yards and eight touchdowns over this first two seasons in Happy Valley. Slade’s last Penn State game saw five touches and 58 yards in a Cotton Bowl win over Memphis. Penn State recently lost another former five-star to transfer as Justin Shorter signed today with the Florida Gators.

Coach James Franklin has not yet commented on the entry with a press conference underway for signing day.

The Cotton Bowl saw a monster game from Journey Brown at tailback. Brown went for 209 yards and two touchdowns in the win. The Nittany Lions have other running back help on the way thanks to the Big Ten's No. 3 recruiting class in 2020. Penn State signed four-star all-purpose back Caziah Holmes in December as a new member of the roster, and also adds four-star back Keyvone Lee in the class.

The Nittany Lions return quarterback Sean Clifford to lead the offense, and they turn to Kirk Ciarrocca as the new offensive coordinator. Ciarrocca comes to Happy Valley after a strong run at Minnesota and replaces Rickey Rahne.

The NCAA introduced the portal on Oct. 15, 2018, providing athletes a path to explore their options. Players do not need to ask permission from their coaching staff in order to transfer. They merely need to request that compliance enter their name. Usually, it takes 24-48 hours for a player to appear following their request.

Schools are free to contact a player without restriction once their name appears in the portal.

While a player entering their name in the transfer portal means they intend to explore their options, it does not necessarily mean they will leave. A player is free to withdraw his name at any time. However, schools are under no obligation to keep a player on scholarship once they enter the portal.

The first portal cycle saw 1,942 FBS players enter in the initial calendar year of its existence, per a source.