Penn State has picked up a big transfer portal commitment on the defensive line. Former UCLA defensive tackle Keanu Williams committed to the Nittany Lions on Monday night following a visit with head coach Matt Campbell and his staff.
Williams started 11 of 12 games for UCLA in 2025 and had the best season of his collegiate career with 39 tackles after returning from a knee injury that cost him almost the entirety of the 2024 campaign. Williams is set to have one year of eligibility remaining at Penn State. The 6-foot-5, 320-pound defensive tackle started his college career at Oregon before transferring to UCLA, where he spent the last three seasons.
Williams played under new Penn State defensive coordinator D’Anton Lynn in 2023.
Williams is the second defensive tackle to commit to Penn State in the transfer portal, joining former Iowa State redshirt freshman Alijah Carnell. He is Penn State’s 20th transfer portal commitment in total and first non-Iowa State transfer since the portal officially opened for business Friday.
Penn State has been active throughout transfer portal season and Williams is the latest important addition for Campbell and company.
“Transfer portal has become a unique advantage probably in some ways and sometimes can be a disadvantage,” Campbell said during his introductory press conference. If you look at our history the last couple years, Jayden Higgins was maybe the 40th ranked transfer portal guy and Jayden Higgins was the No. 1 receiver taken in the draft last year. At offensive tackle, Jalen Travis, who was drafted by the Colts, No. 40 in the transfer portal was the first transfer portal offensive tackle (drafted).
“We have a process. We know what we’re looking for in the transfer portal and have to use that to continue to supplement our football team. Nobody will be better at developing our student-athletes and our high school football players better than us.”