Buckley 1st to leave PSU post-NCAA penalty

• Tweet

RALEIGH, N.C., July 30 (UPI) -- Safety Tim Buckley Monday became the first player to transfer from Penn State after the school's football program after it was hit by harsh NCAA sanctions.

Buckley, who was red-shirted as a freshman last season, exited the school in favor of North Carolina State.

Observers expect an exodus of top players from Penn State in the wake of the the Jerry Sandusky child sex abuse scandal. The NCAA penalties -- which ban the Nittany Lions from post-season bowl competition for four years -- allow current players to transfer and be immediately eligible at their new schools.

"I am excited to be a member of the N.C. State Wolfpack," Buckley, who hails from Raleigh, N.C. "The opportunity to come here and play at my state university, so close to home, was something that I couldn't pass up."

Buckley will be eligible to compete for N.C. State in the upcoming season with a full four years of eligibility.