Penn State CB Zech McPhearson to Transfer to Texas Tech; McLane Carter to Transfer Out

Penn State cornerback Zech McPhearson (5-11/188) has decided to transfer to Texas Tech. McPhearson is a graduate transfer junior, will be eligible immediately and will have two years to play. And to clarify, it is Zech, not Zach, his full name is Zechariah and his father played defensive back for Boston College and the New England Patriots.

McPhearson doesn’t have a ton of stats, only recording 16 tackles total over the past two years, no interceptions, 3 passes defended, and 1 fumble recover. I’m guessing this is why McPhearson is transferring.

Before the season started last year, McPhearson was looking to take a step forward:

Early in the opening statement of his Blue-White game press conference, James Franklin recognized McPhearson for his standout showing in the team’s annual spring scrimmage.

“I thought the guy that kind of stood out to me was Zechariah McPhearson,” Franklin said. “I thought he made a bunch of plays, played with a lot of confidence, and it was great to see that.”

The ultra-athletic former baseball player finished with two tackles and a game-high three pass breakups for the White squad.

As a 4-star recruit coming out of Upper Marlboro, Maryland, McPhearson had offers from Clemson, Alabama, Iowa, Michigan State, and Wisconsin to name a few. I tried to find recent highlights and here are some from the spring game mentioned above:

Quarterback McLane Carter will be the first scholarship player since head coach Matt Wells was announced as the head coach to transfer from Texas Tech, announcing his intent to transfer on Twitter:

After much consideration, I have decided it is in my best interests to explore other opportunities going forward as a student athlete. Accordingly, I will begin utilizing the transfer portal as soon as possible. To everyone that has given me guidance, support, and encouragement, thank you. To the Texas Tech University coaches, my teammates, fellow students, and fans, I appreciate you and will always be thankful for my time and growth here. Wreck em.

Carter was named as the starter at the beginning of the 2018 season, but in the first game against Mississippi he suffered a high ankle sprain and was never really fully healthy for the rest of the year. Carter then had surgery this spring (I believe this is correct) and was at the Frisco scrimmage but think he’s still recovering. I wish Carter the best of lucky and health moving forward.

In the morning, Texas Tech head coach Matt Wells tweeted “Wreck ’em” and I believe that was for the McPhearson commitment but then after the noon hour, Wells tweeted it x 2:

I’m not sure who the additional two commitments are, maybe we’ll find out tomorrow.

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