Imagine that your team just found out that an incoming JUCO player, in which you were relying heavily upon, suddenly isn't qualifying. Or if a key player to your offense or defense suffered a major injury during summer workouts and now is lost for the entire season or possibly a significant amount of it. Typically the response would be to put in a younger player who possibly isn't ready but that won't be the case this summer as the NCAA has basically turned the Penn State roster into a group of free agents.
Among the punishments levied against Penn State is the freedom for current players to transfer immediately and without penalty. What that means is that a student athlete can change addresses to any campus in the country and be eligible to suit up and play this fall.
Penn State Penalties
$60 million dollar sanction
Four year post-season ban
111 wins vacated
Loss of 80 scholarships over four years
Why wouldn't a player want to transfer out? Right or wrong, the NCAA has come down and the university will not appeal. That means an incoming freshman has no shot at ever playing in a conference championship or bowl game. Beyond that it means that Penn State will not be a full strength in all classes until 2020 or so. As if the scandal wasn't already overshadowing the football program, a dark period for Nittany Lion football has arrived.
Its speculated that if a player would like to transfer to a school that is already at the scholarship limit then that school would be allowed to expand their limit to accommodate the transferring player. If that's the case then it truly is open season on the Penn State roster as coaches would be free to recruit and offer a better opportunity and practically any school in the country.