Former Kent State receiver Dante Cephas has a new home — and it is in his home state. The one-time Pittsburgh Penn Hills standout will continue his college career at Penn State. He announced the decision Sunday night.
In transferring to Penn State, the 6-foot-1, 175-pound Cephas will get a chance to reunite with former high school teammates in Daequan Hardy and Tank Smith.
“It’s a great team, great program,” Cephas said after going in the portal last month. “I have a few high school teammates that I played with up there. They say good things. They are saying come up there put in the work, and that they need you, and you’re the best and I could be the No. 1 receiver there.”
Cephas made an official visit to campus last month shortly after going into the portal. He will spent the spring at Kent State working toward his degree before enrolling at Penn State.
He has two years of eligibility remaining. He signed with Kent State in the 2019 class, and he burst onto the scene in 2021 when he caught 82 passes for 1,240 yards and nine touchdowns. He followed it up this season during an offensive rebuilding job with 48 receptions for 744 yards and three touchdowns.
In the days after going into the portal, Cephas picked up offers from Georgia, Miami, Virginia Tech, Oklahoma, Kansas, Notre Dame, West Virginia and Pittsburgh.
“It definitely surprised me with all these big schools coming in,” he said. “It takes me back to the high school days. It’s definitely a blessing to be in this position. This is most people’s dream.”
Cephas was not highly recruited out of high school, but he said his game developed in a big way while at Kent State.
“I think I changed a lot on the field,” he said recently. “My route running got better. I got faster. I was showcasing my talent in different ways.”
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