Ex-Gwinnett star to transfer from Penn State to Ga. Tech

A former Gwinnett County football standout is coming back to play in Atlanta.

Jordan van den Berg, a 6-foot-3, 310-pound defensive tackle, announced Tuesday via his social media channels that he intends to transfer to Georgia Tech. Van den Berg spent three seasons at Penn State before entering the NCAA’s transfer portal in February.

A Providence Christian graduate and native of South Africa, van den Berg was on the Senior Bowl watch list in 2023. He made 11 tackles in 11 games and recovered a fumble for the Nittany Lions. Van den Berg also played in 13 games in 2022 after redshirting in 2021.

Van den Berg began his college career at Iowa Western Community College, where he was a junior college first-team All-American. At Providence Christian, he was a two-time team captain, two-time team MVP and an all-state first-team linebacker during the 2019 season.

Pyne is expected to have three seasons of eligibility remaining, even though he was in the same recruiting class as Cook.

Pyne made the rare decision to focus on academics, transferring from Arizona State back to Notre Dame to finish his degree this semester, delaying the window for him to join his new team until the summer.

Mizzou searched the transfer portal for a reserve quarterback after planned backup Sam Horn underwent Tommy John surgery, which will keep him out of action for upwards of 12 to 14 months. Horn, as a highly touted baseball prospect, could choose to pursue a professional career on the diamond, too, which makes Pyne’s future ability to compete for the starting job after Cook’s final season appealing.