Sports

Chad Pennington’s Son Hits Transfer Portal To Find Third Different School In Less Than One Month

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Cole Pennington Transfer Portal
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Cole Pennington is back in the transfer portal just 17 days after he announced his decision to leave his father’s alma mater. The son of former Marshall legend and NFL quarterback Chad Pennington will seek a new opportunity at his third different school in less than a month.

Circumstances change and a decision that made sense on Dec. 19 no longer makes sense on Dec. 27.

Cole Pennington was a three-star recruit in the college football recruiting Class of 2022 and followed his father to Marshall. Chad Pennington threw for 14,698 yards and 123 touchdowns during four seasons in Huntington, West Virginia. He went 45-6 as the starter.

Even though Pennington started three regular season games and a bowl game for the Thundering Herd in 2023, Tulsa transfer Braylon Braxton beat him out for the starting job during an open competition at fall camp. The true sophomore quarterback spent most of the year on the bench and completed only five passes for 57 yards and a touchdown. Head coach Charles Huff also left Southern Miss.

As a result, Pennington suddenly hit the transfer portal on the first day of the winter window. He received scholarship offers from Gardner-Webb and South Dakota and committed to the latter after a visit to Vermilion.

The Coyotes had one of the 10-best offenses on the FCS level in 2024. They reached the semifinals.

Quarterback Aidan Bouman was a big part of South Dakota’s success. However, he walked on Senior Night and was expected to either declare for the NFL or enter the transfer portal. Pennington likely committed to the ‘Yotes with the belief that he could start in 2025. That is no longer possible.

Bouman announced his decision to return to the Mount Rushmore State on Thursday night.

With this new reality in mind, Pennington is on his way out. The rising junior quarterback is back in the transfer portal for the second time in three weeks. He will now seek his third school in that same amount of time: Marshall, South Dakota and…?

Marshall fans would welcome Cole Pennington back to Huntington with open arms but a reunion seems unlikely. He is in search of a fresh start at a program where he can compete for a starting job.