Chase Sowell’s college football path has been anything but straight, but the Penn State wide receiver says the transfer portal gave him something he wasn’t getting before: a real shot.
That part matters to Sowell, because there was a point when he believed the sport might already be done with him.
A native of Humble, Texas, Sowell entered college with only one Power 4 offer out of high school, Colorado, and he took it. He was there when Deion Sanders arrived in Boulder, but not for long after that. Sanders overhauled the roster, and Sowell was among the players told he was not part of the Buffaloes’ plans.
For a player who had already dealt with injury and uncertainty, it was a brutal turn. By his own account, he was sitting in his dorm in May 2023 convinced that was the end.
“May 2023 sitting in my dorm, I thought football was over for me,” Sowell said Tuesday. “I thought that’s just what it was, and I was just I was going to accept it.”
Instead, Sowell kept going. He transferred to East Carolina and made the most of that opportunity, putting up 1,300 receiving yards over two seasons and reaching a career high of 678. That stretch put him back on the radar for another Power 4 move, and Iowa State came calling.
That second portal jump became another turning point.
“Obviously, start off at Colorado, not the guy, so I’ve got to find another place. Get saved by East Carolina.
They give me a call. They give me a chance,” Sowell said.
“I make the best out of that chance. Hop back into the portal after everything that went on at East Carolina, and then Coach Campbell gives me a call.
I head over there, and from there it was kind of just like my life changed.”
His lone season in Ames backed that up. Sowell caught 32 passes for exactly 500 yards, making it the third straight year he topped 500 receiving yards. It also gave him his first extended look at life in a power conference, and he said the expectations hit differently.
“When I got to Iowa State, it was very stressful just because I was expected to be held to a high standard,” Sowell said. “That was something that wasn’t kept up or expected as much at East Carolina in lower level Division I school.”
Even so, he said the pressure helped him grow.
“It was just a blessing for me,” he said. “It helped me grow as a man, it helped me grow as a player, helped me grow as a student. So I’m just blessed that I got the opportunity.”
Now at Penn State, Sowell has seven catches for 91 yards and a touchdown, and his career has taken him to four schools in five years. To some fans, that kind of journey can look like a symbol of everything messy about the modern sport. Sowell sees it differently.
He says he was never chasing fame or money. He wanted playing time, respect and a place where he could keep proving himself.
“I mean, obviously you get a lot of stories where the portal obviously doesn’t go well,” Sowell said. “But my whole college career, the portal’s been a blessing to me.”
He also said the change was about more than football. Earlier stops left him homesick, and he said he had never been closer than 14 hours from Texas. Wanting family and friends in the stands was part of the struggle.
“That’s something that really hurt me early on in my career,” Sowell said. “Now, I’m able to to adapt to it just because it’s kind of been the norm for me. But the transfer portal, like gave me another opportunity and kind of let me elevate myself.”
Sowell said the process has demanded sacrifices and tough calls, but he still sees the same thing at every stop: a chance he earned and a chance he used.
“There’s some hard choices that I’ve had to make and some hard sacrifices too,” Sowell said. “So the transfer portal has definitely been a blessing to me, for sure.”
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Buffalo Coach Sees One Clear Problem With Facing Penn State
Pete Lembo had plenty to say about what Buffalo is walking into at Beaver Stadium, and his breakdown came with the kind of specificity that usually comes only after a coach has spent real time studying an opponent. The Buffalo head coach pointed to Penn State linebacker Tony Rojas, a player he once recruited at South Carolina, and also singled out middle linebacker Kooper Ebel as a steady defensive presence. He did not stop there, either, adding praise for quarterback Rocco Becht and special teams coordinator Justin Lustig as he sized up a roster that looks deep enough to challenge almost every phase of the game.
For Penn State, the interesting part is not just that an opponent noticed the obvious talent. It is that Lembo framed the matchup around the parts of the roster that can tilt a game before the box score ever settles in, from defense to special teams to the quarterback spot. When an opposing coach comes away talking in those terms, it usually means he sees only one clean path for his own team, and it is not the easy one. [Read more 🡒]
Penn State's Spending Reality Just Raised A Bigger Contender Question
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The roster churn only sharpens the issue. Penn State has 62 new players this season, including 40 transfers, and the program has had to navigate the balancing act of holding onto key contributors while adding talent through the portal. Matt Campbell has managed the budget pressures by keeping important pieces in place and bringing in transfers from his previous team, but the broader question remains whether that approach is enough for Penn State to stay in the same competitive tier as the leagues highest rollers. [Read more 🡒]
Penn State May Have Found Its Next Tight End Problem For Defenses
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Brahmers value has gone beyond the stat sheet, too. His strong pass-blocking grade and the trust he earned from quarterback Rocco Becht at Iowa State point to a player who can help in multiple phases, and the early signs around his physical development have only added to the intrigue about how high his ceiling might be at tight end. If this is just the start, Penn State may have found a matchup piece defenses will be forced to account for every week. [Read more 🡒]