Junior running back Noah Cain elects to leave Penn State football program, enter transfer portal

Penn State running back Noah Cain, who led the Nittany Lions with four rushing touchdowns this season, entered the transfer portal Monday.

Cain, who set a Penn State freshman record with eight rushing touchdowns in 2019, said he will graduate from Penn State with two years of eligibility remaining.He started seven games this season, finishing second on the team with 350 rushing yards on 106 carries.

"Throughout the last three years I have been in Happy Valley, I have learned endless things about myself on and off the football field and I have been blessed with opportunities which I will carry with myself for a lifetime," Cain said in a statement posted to Twitter on Thursday. "Penn State has provided me with a myriad of opportunities athletically, academically, civically and socially. For that, I could never be more grateful."

The 5-foot-10, 220-pound junior suffered a season-ending injury on the opening drive of the 2020 season.

ESPN rated Cain as the No. 4 running back and No. 69 player in the 2019 recruiting class.

Penn State (7-6) finished 118th nationally in rushing as a team this season, and a 24-10 loss in the Outback Bowl to Arkansas illustrated those woes as no running back topped 50 yards against the Razorbacks.

In what will prove to be Cain's last game with Penn State, he ran the ball five times for 28 yards in that loss. He also caught two passes for 12 yards.