Blue White Illustrated

P E N N S T A T E F O O T B A L L >> filling out his new staff, Franklin said he was choosing to look at the changes as a testament to the program's recent suc- cess. "Obviously, it does create chal- lenges," he said. "But I do think it's a really good example of a healthy pro- gram. People have seen the success that we've had and want to steal bits and pieces of it." 2 With K.J. Hamler o+ to the NFL, who's going to step for- ward at wide receiver? Well, at least we know who it won't be. It won't be Justin Shorter, the former five-star prospect who entered the transfer portal late last season and an- nounced in January that he would be continuing his career at Florida. Shorter didn't have a big impact in two injury- plagued seasons at Penn State, totaling only 15 receptions for 157 yards. His elite high school pedigree and impressive size would have made him a player to watch this spring had he stuck around, but he didn't stick around, and so no one outside of the Gators' football program is going to be seeing much of him until 2021. So… what now? Hamler's decision to enter the NFL Draft leaves the Lions with a dearth of proven players at the wideout spots. Aside from Jahan Dotson, who caught 40 passes for 691 yards and five touchdowns in his first two seasons, there's no one on the current roster with more than a dozen career catches. Seven of the Lions' 12 scholarship wideouts will have freshman eligibility this coming fall and have yet to catch a single pass between them. That's not necessarily a bad thing. As Franklin has frequently noted, the far- ther you are from the ball, the easier it is to make an early impact. What's more, the younger wideouts go into spring practice knowing they have a path to playing time if they prove themselves. That alone should make for a highly competitive practice environment. "There are some really good opportuni- ties for some wide receivers to come in and compete," Franklin said. "We think we've got some guys who are ready to take the next step, and we need them to. That will be a focus point for the spring and the summer and obviously next fall." A year ago, Shorter forced his way into the starting lineup ahead of Daniel George, Cam Sullivan-Brown and Mac Hippenhammer. Maybe one of those players is poised for a breakthrough in 2020. George started three games as a redshirt freshman last fall when Shorter was unavailable, so he's probably an early favorite to claim one of the vacant starting spots. Sullivan-Brown was slowed by an undisclosed injury and played in only four games, so he's still a bit of an unknown commodity even as he prepares for his redshirt junior sea- son. Hippenhammer, another redshirt junior, is playing baseball this spring. While that's good news for coach Rob Cooper's ball club – Hippenhammer was fourth on the team in RBIs as of this writing – the two-sport athlete is run- ning out of time to make an impact on the football field. If he's only practicing occasionally, or not at all, it will open up opportunities for younger players to jump him on the depth chart. Now, about those younger players: T.J. Jones and John Dunmore are coming off redshirt years, while 2020 recruits Jaden Dottin and KeAndre Lambert-Smith are RISING RECEIVER George started three games last season in place of Justin Shorter. With 12 ca- reer catches, the redshirt sophomore is Penn State's sec- ond-leading return- ing wideout. Photo by Steve Manuel

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