Redshirt freshman quarterback Christian Veilleux announced his intent to enter the NCAA transfer portal on Twitter Tuesday afternoon. Veilleux is the first Nittany Lion to announce his intent to transfer following the 2022 regular season.

“Being at Penn State has been nothing but a blessing,” Veilleux wrote. “I want to thank my teammates, coaches, and staff for memories that I’ll cherish forever.”

Being at Penn State has been nothing but a blessing. I want to thank my teammates, coaches, and staff for memories that I’ll cherish forever. I will be entering my name in the transfer portal with 3 years of eligibility. pic.twitter.com/7uE4hdKlW5

— Chr1st1an Vei11eux (@VeilleuxQB11) November 29, 2022

“I think Veilleux has been phenomenal. His attitude has been great. He’s been great in meetings. He’s totally engaged,” head coach James Franklin said at a pre-Maryland press conference. “We’ll see how this all plays out, but I hope he stays at Penn State… There’s part of me that it breaks my heart a little bit about the conversations and the things that you’re having now in college football that you didn’t used to have.”

Veilleux will have three years of eligibility remaining whenever he joins his new team.

In April 2020, Veilleux committed to Penn State from Ontario, Canada, selecting the Nittany Lions over schools such as Clemson and Tennessee.

Veilleux made his first game appearance against Rutgers last season, when the Nittany Lions were suffering with an outbreak of the flu. In that game, Veilleux finished with 15-of-24 passing, 235 yards, and three touchdowns.

That’s Christian Veilleux’s first-career touchdown for Penn State
pic.twitter.com/IouNp4swHx

— Onward State (@OnwardState) November 20, 2021

Veilleux made multiple appearances throughout the 2022 season, but only in a reserve capacity. Passed by true freshman Drew Allar on the depth chart, Veilleux exclusively took snaps to wind down the clock in late-game victory situations.

With Veilleux’s departure and the graduation, Penn State’s quarterback room next season currently consists of freshmen Allar and Beau Pribula, as well as incoming three-star commit Jaxon Smolik.