Penn State wide receiver Kaden Saunders plans to enter NCAA transfer portal
NCAAF College Football News, Photos, Stats, Scores, Schedule & Videos...
Penn State wide receiver Kaden Saunders plans to enter the NCAA transfer portal, On3’s Pete Nakos has learned. He does so after spending four years with the Nittany Lions.
Saunders played some early in his career before mostly disappearing over the last two years. He recorded eight catches for 77 yards and a touchdown in 2022 and 2023.
But he failed to record a catch in the last two seasons. He did, however, make an impact as a return specialist in 2023 and 2024. In those two campaigns, Kaden Saunders recorded 17 punt returns for 113 yards, breaking a long return of 37 yards.
A hand injury cost Saunders most of the 2024 season after he had appeared in four games as a return man. He then missed all of the 2025 season with what coach James Franklin described as a “long-term injury.”
Prior to enrolling at Penn State, Kaden Saunders was a highly coveted top-100 prospect. He ranked as a four-star recruit and the No. 96 overall recruit in the 2022 class, according to the Rivals Industry Rankings. He also checked in as the No. 16 wide receiver in the class and the No. 5 overall player from the state of Ohio, hailing from Westerville (OH) Westerville South.
Kaden Saunders one of several to hit portal
Kaden Saunders isn’t the only Penn State player to hit the transfer portal this cycle, which is expected following a coaching transition. Penn State true freshman quarterback Bekkem Kritza also plans to enter the NCAA transfer portal once the two-week window formally opens Friday, On3 has learned. Kritza will have four seasons of collegiate eligibility after redshirting this past season in Happy Valley.
After battling some injury issues earlier this season, Kritza was made available to potentially play in late October, according to interim head coach Terry Smith. But he never saw the field in 2025.
Kritza, a 6-foot-5 and 200-pound freshman, signed with the Nittany Lions as a three-star prospect out of Chaminade-Madonna Prep (Hollywood, Fla.) and was the No. 50 quarterback in the 2025 recruiting class, according to Rivals Industry Ranking. Kritza entered the season as Penn State’s fifth-string QB before sliding up to fourth-string following the season-ending injury to senior starter Drew Allar.
On3’s Alex Byington also contributed to this report.
More at NCAAF College Football News, Photos, Stats, Scores, Schedule & Videos