After a rocky experience at Florida State, cornerback AJ Lytton appears set to take the opportunity for a fresh start at Penn State. According to a report from 247 Sports on Tuesday evening, Lytton will enroll in classes at Penn State next week and officially join the program at that time.
Lytton was a four-star recruit in the Class of 2018 for the Seminoles. He was originally recruited to Tallahassee by former Florid State head coach Willie Taggart. He chose Florida State over offers from many top programs, including Alabama, Georgia, Oklahoma, Tennessee, Michigan, and even Penn State. Lytton, a native of Maryland, never made a visit to Penn State while being recruited out of high school, however.
Oct 27, 2018; Tallahassee, FL, USA; Clemson Tigers wide receiver Tee Higgins (5) is defended by Florida State Seminoles defensive back AJ Lytton (12) during the second half at Doak Campbell Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Melina Myers-USA TODAY Sports
Lytton appeared in 12 games for Florida State during the 2019 season and 10 games in 2018 as a true freshman. Between the two seasons as mostly a reserve (one start in 2019), Lytton recorded 28 tackles and 2.0 tackles for a loss with one interception and one forced fumble.
Lytton left the Florida State program in February 2020 and continued at a community college while taking the time to evaluate his options. A pandemic in 2020 may have led to Lytton letting the process play out a little longer than usual. At the time Lytton left the Florida State program, Taggart had been removed as head coach and Mike Norvell of Memphis had been hired. The transition for Norvell was a bit rocky for some players, perhaps including Lytton.
But sometimes all you need is a fresh start and a new opportunity. If Penn State can take advantage of a player ready to make up for some lost time, then they may have picked up quite the transfer prize. But the secondary is far from Penn State’s biggest issue on the roster in 2021. James Franklin has spoken at length about the quality depth Penn State appears to have in the defensive secondary.
The addition of Lytton appears to cement the depth as a strong suit for the upcoming season. But Lytton has two years of eligibility remaining, so his transfer addition would help solidify the position more in 2022 as well, with Kalen King and Joey Porter Jr. among the possible options to start at cornerback in 2022.
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