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ferring, and in late December, Hamler opted to forgo his :nal season of eligibil- ity to enter the NFL Dra<. But amid that run of bad news, there was also some good: The Lions signed what I believe to be the second-best wide receiver class in the Big Ten for the 2020 recruiting cycle. Dottin, Lambert- Smith and Washington all received four- star ratings from Rivals, while Black and Meiga were three-star prospects. In all likelihood, Penn State will need two of its new wide receiver recruits to be able to contribute this fall. The reason for that is simple: The Lions return only four wide receivers who caught passes last season. Jahan Dotson, who was the team's second-leading wide receiver last year with 27 catches for 488 yards, is the only established starter returning. The three other returning wideouts who had at least one reception last season are Daniel George (nine receptions, 100 yards), Cam Sullivan-Brown (eight re- ceptions, 56 yards) and Mac Hippen- hammer (one reception, 15 yards). None of those three receivers had a touch- down catch last season. The only other scholarship wide re- ceivers on Penn State's spring roster are redshirt freshmen John Dunmore and T.J. Jones. With so little proven experi- ence returning, it's easy to see why at least one true freshman wide receiver will have to contribute in 2020. I believe the most likely candidates are Lambert- Smith and Dottin, both of whom en- rolled in January, and Washington, who appears to have an excellent chance of seeing quality playing time at Hamler's slot receiver position. That might be a lot to ask of Penn State's newest wideouts, but the team needs some of its young players to de- velop quickly. TIGHT END SIGNEES Theo Johnson, Tyler Warren ANALYSIS Even with the loss of Nick Bowers to graduation, Penn State could have the best group of tight ends in the Big Ten for the upcoming season. Pat Freiermuth is the No. 1 tight end in the conference and a leading candidate for the Mackey Award coming o; a sopho- more season in which he :nished as the Nittany Lions' second-leading receiver with 43 catches for 507 yards and seven touchdowns. He is tied with Mike Gesicki for most career TD receptions by a Penn State tight end (15). Backing up Freiermuth are Zack Kuntz and Brenton Strange. The two returnees combined for just three receptions for 22 yards last year, but it's possible that both will have an impact on the passing game for the upcoming season. They might have to hold o; the newcomers, though, as I believe Penn State landed the top tight end class in the Big Ten this year. Johnson stands 6-foot-6, 245 pounds and has 4.63-second 40-yard speed and a 35-inch vertical leap. He was Rivals' :

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