Penn State granted a transfer release to redshirt freshman cornerback TJ Johnson, as confirmed by Penn State football spokesperson Kris Petersen. It’s not immediately clear where Johnson intends to go.
Having sat out his true freshman season in 2016, his only game action on the field at Beaver Stadium came in the Blue-White Game where he was one of the top producers on the defensive end — picking off a pass and recording five total tackles.
The Cleveland native had not been with the team in the past several weeks, according to 247 Sports.
Along with the loss of John Reid due to a spring ball knee injury, Penn State is now down two potential impact players in the secondary heading into the season opener on September 2 against Akron.
Led by Grant Haley and Christian Campbell, cornerback is still one of the deepest positions for James Franklin’s squad. The position also has some young talent like true freshmen Lamont Wade and Tariq Castro-Fields, who may earn some extra time on the field with spots opening up.
