Former Penn State defensive end Torrence Brown will spend his final year of collegiate eligibility at the University of Southern Mississippi.

“I’ve been through so much but I’m a firm believer that God gives the hardest battles to his toughest soldiers,” Brown said on Twitter. “I want to thank Coach Franklin and the Penn State staff once again for the opportunity of a lifetime at a great university where I was able to get my degree and change the direction of my family.”

Penn State has been at the center of plenty of transfer news since its Citrus Bowl defeat to Kentucky, but Brown’s announcement is perhaps the most bizarre development of the offseason. The defensive end retired from football before the start of the 2018 season after suffering a season-ending knee injury against Georgia State in 2017.

Brown joined a laundry list of Nittany Lions who have either announced their intention to transfer or entered the NCAA’s new transfer portal this offseason. Juwan Johnson, Brandon Polk, and Jarvis Miller are among those who have announced their plans to leave Happy Valley.

Editor’s Note: This story has been edited for clarity. A previous version was interpreted by some readers as implying Brown was unable to earn a spot in the lineup for reasons other than injury, which was not the writer’s intention. We apologize for the confusion.