Blue White Illustrated

| e had been one of the top wide receiver prospects in the country coming out of high school, and when he got to Penn State last summer, he made an immediate impression on the coaching staff with his pass-catching prowess. Whenever the ball was thrown in his direction, he came down with it. But there was one thing that Eugene Lewis didn't see coming: the coaches' decision to hold him out of action his freshman year. "I wasn't expecting it at first," Lewis said. "But I realized that they want the best thing for me. They knew what was right, they knew what they had to do, and I'm glad they did it." Lewis is getting set to make his debut this fall, and it should be an exciting one for Penn State. While the Nittany Lions have an abundance of returning talent at wide receiver and tight end – those areas may, in fact, be the deepest on the team – there's always room for another talented pass-catcher in Bill O'Brien's offensive scheme, and Lewis certainly fits that description, especially after a year of behind-the-scenes refinement. The coaches have been gushing about the 6-foot-1, 201-pound redshirt freshman ever since he arrived on campus a year ago. Receivers coach Stan Hixon said last fall that his athletic ability "is off the charts," adding that the coaches thought long and hard about whether to get him on the field immediately before making their decision a few games into the season. "Eugene Lewis is a player [for whom] we really had high | LETTERMEN RETURNING Alex Kenney*, Brandon Moseby-Felder*, Allen Robinson*, Matt Zanellato LETTERMEN LOST Christian Kuntz, Evan Lewis RISING STAR Eugene Lewis nearly played for the Lions last year as a true freshman after a series of impressive practices. But the coaches ultimately chose to hold him out. He made a quiet debut in the Blue-White Game, catching one pass for 8 yards, but he'll be a factor this fall. BIGGEST LOSS The Lions' graduation losses were minimal – Kuntz and Lewis didn't catch any passes last season – but the coaches did send promising redshirt freshmen Trevor Williams and Malik Golden to the defense to help shore up a thin secondary. Also, Shawney Kersey parted ways with Penn State early last season and enrolled at Marshall in January. NUMBERS GAME Penn State's returning wideouts totaled 143 catches for 1,641 yards last season. OUTLOOK Sanctions? What sanctions? A quick perusal of the Nittany Lions' depth chart shows they have as much talent at wideout as any team in the Big Ten. Robinson, who is reportedly up to 217 pounds following seven months of intense weight room work – is an All-America hopeful after winning Big Ten Receiver of the Year honors as a sophomore. His wingman, Moseby-Felder, stepped up in the second half of Penn State's 2012 season; 25 of Moseby-Felder's 31 catches and 368 of his 437 receiving yards came in the Lions' final seven games. With Lewis about to make his debut and true freshman Richy Anderson set to join the depth chart (another bluechip freshman, DaeSean Hamilton, may redshirt), the Lions are loaded here. They'll need someone reliable to WIDE RECEIVER NO 8 7 88 NAME Allen Robinson Eugene Lewis Jonathan Warner YR Jr. Fr. Fr. HT 6-3 6-1 6-1 WT 211 201 196 Sr. So. Jr. Fr. 6-2 6-3 6-0 5-11 199 202 194 171 WIDE RECEIVER 85 80 15 19 B. Moseby-Felder Matt Zanellato Alex Kenney Richy Anderson get them the ball, but Bill O'Brien's offense relies heavily on the passing game, so unless the quarterback situation is a lot worse than everyone thinks – and there's no reason to believe that it is – these guys are going to have a major impact. * Starting experience in 2012

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