Penn State football wide receiver Chase Sowell’s path to the Nittany Lions was anything but linear. In fact, in 2023, Sowell thought he might never get another chance to play football.

The transfer portal is a growing phenomenon in college football for players seeking new opportunities, but it comes with its fair share of risks. Roster spots are never guaranteed, and athletes may elect to forgo scholarship opportunities and take that leap of faith to find a better fit.

For Sowell, there were three such gambles in his collegiate career, but his transfer portal journey ultimately led him to a place of great satisfaction.

The Humble, Texas, native originally committed to Colorado out of high school, his only Power Four offer. 

After a freshman season with just two receptions, Sowell played out the rest of his time as a Buffalo under head coach Deion Sanders, hired in December 2022. Or so he thought. When Sanders arrived on campus, he made it clear he would conduct a large-scale roster overhaul, relying heavily on the transfer portal to fulfill his vision of what he hoped Colorado football would become.

Unfortunately for Sowell, he wasn’t included in that plan. Sanders told him before the 2023 spring game that, in part because of injury, Sowell would not be one of the team’s starters moving forward.

Picking up on the subliminal messaging, Sowell entered the portal and eventually landed at East Carolina. Two near-700-yard seasons pushed him back into the portal as he searched for another opportunity at the Power Four level. 

Enter Matt Campbell.

“Coach Campbell gives me a call,” Sowell said. “From there, it was kind of just like my life changed. Like my life literally changed.”

Joining the program at Iowa State fulfilled a few wishes for Sowell. For one, he was geographically closer to his family than ever. Having loved ones attend games mattered to him. 

But the one thing that shaped Sowell into the player he hopes to be at Penn State is the pressure of playing at a marquee college football brand.

While Iowa State didn’t fit that mold, per se, being a starter in a major conference helped Sowell adapt to playing under pressure.

“When I got to Iowa State, it was very stressful just because I was expected to be held to a high expectation. That was something that wasn’t, you know, kept and upheld at East Carolina,” he said. “It was just a blessing for me. It helped me grow as a man, it helped me grow as a player, it helped me grow as a student.”

Now, Sowell has the chance to continue playing under the spotlight in the blue and white, putting his potential on full display in the Nittany Lions’ two games thus far this season.

While his uniform may be different yet again, Sowell’s journey has become an integral part of his Penn State destination. 

A key part of that journey wasn’t a particular school, but a teammate, one that still holds that title for Sowell in Happy Valley.

Sowell first met Zay Robinson at Iowa State, and he immediately took Robinson under his wing.

“I actually told [Robinson] when I first got to Iowa State I didn’t like him a lot. He was loud, he would talk a lot, and, you know, tell us that he’s going to do this, do that,” Sowell said. “And he would get out there and do it.”

Whether Sowell and Robinson’s drive to succeed can be attributed to Campbell’s leadership or otherwise, it’s clear the Penn State receiver room is in good hands with its class of transfers.

You would be remiss to spend four years working toward playing for a Big​ Ten program and not take advantage of all the resources it has to offer.

Campbell has made it a priority, since becoming a Penn State “transfer” himself, to bring back lettermen in hopes of inspiring his current team. 

Sowell hasn’t been able to talk with too many former Nittany Lion wideouts, but his discussions with linebacker Brandon Short have been incredibly meaningful, helping reaffirm Sowell’s sense of belonging despite frequent change.

“[Short] opened his arms up and brought me in and told me, you know, no matter how many places you’ve been at or where you’ve been, this is your place and we’re gonna treat you like it’s home,” Sowell said.

Their relationship has developed into something reminiscent of the one Sowell shares with Robinson, using iron to sharpen iron, learning from one another, and treating each other like family.

Sowell attended Short’s gala back in June, an event dedicated to honoring Short’s daughter, Karli, who was tragically murdered in 2021. 

This Saturday, Sowell looks to continue living out his Penn State legacy, hoping for a dominant performance with the 1986 Nittany Lions scheduled to be on the sidelines. 

While matching that team’s production would certainly be a high bar, Sowell has earned the right to embrace the standard they helped set.

“This is what Penn State football is. No matter what the scoreboard is, we’re playing for the standard. We’re not playing for the scoreboard,” he said.

If anyone can prove the transfer portal can lead to a success story, it’s Sowell. His trek from a player unsure whether he would ever see the field again to a starting wide receiver for Penn State football proves that betting on yourself can be well worth the risk.

“The transfer portal gave me another opportunity and kind of let me elevate myself. There’s some hard choices that I had to make, some hard sacrifices,” Sowell said.