With the offseason underway for Penn State, players and coaches continue to make decisions about their futures. The wide receiver picture is getting clearer, or murkier depending on perspective. Like last year, Penn State finds itself with a revolving door at wide receiver.
Penn State Receiver Revolving Door
It has been a busy offseason already for Penn State following the loss to Notre Dame in the national semifinals. Defensive coordinator Tom Allen left for Clemson. Players like Abdul Carter, Sal Wormley, Kobe King, and Jaylen Reed have declared for the NFL Draft. However, there are a good number of players returning as well, including Drew Allar, the running back duo of Nick Singleton and Kaytron Allen, and defensive stalwarts Zane Durant and Dani Dennis-Sutton.
The wide receiver corps is currently the weak spot of the Penn State offense. That is consistent with this season. None of the top three pass catchers from this season’s team will be on next season’s squad. Number four on the list, and the returning player with the most catches from this season, was running back Singleton. He will still be relied upon next season to catch passes.
Don’t Let the Revolving Door Hit You
Penn State is losing receivers from this season’s roster via the transfer portal and graduation. This is not a surprise given the lack of production from that position. In fact, no receivers tallied a catch against Notre Dame. Trey Wallace and Omari Evans enter the transfer portal, and Julian Fleming is out of eligibility. The exits of Wallace and Evans follow the pattern of KeAndre Lambert-Smith, who transferred to Auburn before this season.
Wallace produced 720 yards on 46 catches with four touchdowns. Wallace produced over 100 yards receiving in a game only once, the season-opening win against West Virginia. He has only one year of eligibility left.
Evans was the very inconsistent deep threat in the offense this season. Evans was a beneficiary of the attention defenses paid to Mackey Award-winning tight end Tyler Warren (who led the team with 104 catches). Overall for the season, Evans produced 415 yards on 21 catches with five touchdowns.
Fleming was a disappointment overall in his only year in Happy Valley. He caught 14 passes for 176 yards with one touchdown. Throughout the season, head coach James Franklin was complimentary of Fleming’s blocking ability. Unfortunately, his lack of production in the passing game overshadowed the blocking.
Additionally, less-prominent contributors like Mehki Flowers and Tyler Johnson have entered the transfer portal. They did not produce on this year’s team so entering the portal was not surprising. They will look to fulfill their potential with another program.
The Revolving Door is Always Open for You
As the receiver room loses the likes of Wallace, Evans, and Fleming, there are other receivers coming in through the revolving door. Currently, Kyron Hudson and Devonte Ross have committed to come to Penn State through the transfer portal.
There is also an opportunity for other receivers to join them. The question for others that might come in is the conundrum of the receiver position with the Nittany Lions. A move to Penn State is risky given the recent production of the receivers. Additionally, Franklin and Allar have both missed out on winning big games against the best opponents. Opportunistically, the right player can come in, build credibility with offensive coordinator Andy Kotelnicki and Allar, and get opportunities to be successful quickly on a team that went to the national semifinals.
Hudson is coming to Penn State from USC. This season, Hudson produced 38 catches for 462 yards with three touchdowns. He will likely be depended on to take Wallace’s place in the offense. As an added bonus, he is a good blocker that can take Fleming’s role, too.
Ross will replace Evans as the deep threat. At Troy, he produced 76 catches for 1,043 yards and 11 touchdowns through the air this season. Ross could end up being a steal if he finds his role and could be consistent.
There are also options already on the team. Of all returning receivers, Liam Clifford has the most experience and best statistics (had 18 catches for 286 yards and a touchdown this season). Kaden Saunders was injured and did not register a reception. Both Clifford and Saunders need to decide if they will stay or go. Tyseer Denmark has shown potential as a true freshman this season, with two catches (one touchdown). So, while the cupboard is not bare, there is not a lot of production returning at the receiver position.
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