van den Berg
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Penn State has already pulled defensive linemen out of the transfer portal from Philadelphia and Durham, N.C., this offseason.
Some six months later, the Nittany Lions added a late surprise to the unit, one who has taken a longer trip to join the team.
“South Africa….. Atlanta……… HAPPY VALLEY,” Penn State’s newest lineman, Jordan van den Berg, wrote on social media on Tuesday night.
And there was another step in that journey, too. Born in South Africa and growing up in the Atlanta suburb of Lilburn, Ga., van den Berg spent last season in the junior college ranks at Iowa Western.
Now the 6-foot-3, 285-pounder is on his way to State College sooner rather than later.
Coach James Franklin’s announcement on Twitter that the Lions had landed a verbal commitment was accompanied by a graphic that indicated the new recruit will be part of the 2021 class that signed last December.
Lions247 reported that van den Berg is indeed set to join the Lions this summer and be available to play right away in the fall.
Penn State has been aggressive in building up depth through transfers this offseason, particularly on the defensive line. In the winter, the Lions added defensive end Arnold Ebiketie from Temple and defensive tackle Derrick Tangelo from Duke to push for starting jobs.
It’s too early to tell how much van den Berg will be able to contribute in 2021. Once a rugby player in his home country, he has since picked up football since moving to America.
He played one season at Iowa Western, a well-regarded junior college program that ended up playing its 2020 season in the spring of 2021 because of the pandemic.
In five games with the Reivers, van den Berg recorded 20 tackles and one sack.
That might not have turned many heads of major college programs, but van den Berg has evidently impressed a handful of Big Ten coaches in just this past week since the NCAA lifted in-person recruiting restrictions nationwide.
Before checking out Penn State on Tuesday, van den Berg had visited Iowa and Nebraska and came away with a scholarship offer from both Big Ten West schools.
The Lions are looking to replace one starter in the middle, as Antonio Shelton and the team parted ways in the offseason with Shelton opting to play his extra sixth season at Florida.
PJ Mustipher returns as a starter at tackle and will be part of a rotation that will feature veterans like Fred Hansard and Tangelo along with a group of second- and third-year players led by Hakeem Beamon and Dvon Ellies.