Blue White Illustrated

September 2022

Penn State Sports Magazine

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S E P T E M B E R 2 0 2 2 2 5 W W W . B L U E W H I T E O N L I N E . C O M on a few occasions. It's clear that fans are expecting him to emulate what No. 5 did a year ago, but he's unfazed by those com- parisons, and in fact is now wearing the same jersey number as his predecessor. Tinsley doesn't feel like he needs to fill the sizable shoes that Dotson left be- hind earlier this year when he joined the Washington Commanders as the No. 16 overall pick in the draft. If anything, the 6-foot-1, 206-pound wideout, is ener- gized by the prospect of following an NFL first-rounder. Tinsley realizes that if he performs as Dotson did, he could hear his name called early in the draft when his time comes. "I feel like, for the most part, it's just next man up," he said. "That's the most important thing, for the next person to be ready." Penn State has plenty of options at receiver this fall. Tinsley is ex- pected to star beside third-year sophomore Parker Washing- ton. Beyond those two, the Lions also have sophomores KeAndre Lambert-Smith and Malick Meiga, as well as numerous first- and sec- ond-year players who could find roles, such as red- shirt freshman Harrison Wallace III. "I feel like we're deep this year," Tinsley said. "I feel like any- body can go first-string, second-string, third-string — and everybody is ready to play. That's what's going to make us really good." Head coach James Franklin feels the same way. "I do feel like the group has the ability to match or exceed the production from the wide receiver unit last year," he said. "Now, whether it's a one-for-one trad- eoff, I'm not sure. But if you look at the group last year and where KeAndre I think is going to be this year and then the pro- duction that Mitch Tinsley has had in his career, and obviously Parker, we feel really good about that group." Penn State pushed to land Tinsley al- most as soon as he entered the transfer portal, and it's not hard to see why. His production, albeit at the Group of Five level, was immense; in addition to his breakout senior season last fall, he had a team-high 43 catches for 377 yards and 4 touchdowns in 2020 after arriving from Hutchinson (Kan.) Community College. Numbers like those made Tinsley one of the top players available in the offsea- son, and he fit in at a clear position of need for the Nittany Lions. During spring prac- tice, he flashed his potential, and his stock continued to rise at the start of fall camp. Tinsley said he was able to quickly fit in with his new teammates at Penn State, including his roommate, super senior quarterback Sean Clifford. Those liv- ing arrangements helped the two form an early bond, one that has impressed both Franklin and receivers coach Taylor Stubblefield. "Mitch has already had so much pro- duction in college, and he's super ma- ture," Franklin said. "He understands some of the things that maybe the young guys don't understand. "I think he's got a chance to have a re- ally, really productive year. … He's de- pendable and he's got really good ball skills and toughness and maturity. You're going to know what you're getting pretty much week in, week out from him." Stubblefield, too, appreciates the con- sistency that that Tinsley has brought to Penn State's receivers room, as well as his versatility. "He's shown the ability to learn mul- tiple positions," the Lions' third-year re- ceivers coach said. "He's shown the abil- ity to be consistent with his hands, with his route running, and learn a new system, learn a new route structure, and then also build relationships with the players. Be- cause that's [important]. Anytime you're new to a program, whether it's as a young guy or a transfer, you've got to build rela- tionships, build friendships. He's done a good job of that." It doesn't take too many viewings of Tinsley's highlight video to realize that everything Stubblefield says about his athletic skill set is true. Tinsley is a pol- ished route runner who adds size, speed, strength, hand-eye coordination and big- play ability to the Penn State receivers room. Indeed, Tinsley himself will tell you that he's got all the tools to be an effective receiver at college football's highest level. "I feel like I do pretty much everything well," he said. "There are things that I can get better at, but as of right now, I feel like I do everything at a high level. I don't want to have any weaknesses in my game. That's really important to me." Tinsley said he believes his extensive tool kit will serve him well at Penn State right out of the gate. "I just have to believe in myself," he said. "I'm not really looking at it as re- placing someone or filling any shoes. I just want to do my job to the best of my ability. "This is football. It's not anything dif- ferent than what I've played before. I played against Big Ten opponents and top players [while at Western Kentucky]. At the end of the day, I'm just focused on do- ing my job and executing at a high level." ■ "I just have to believe in myself. I'm not really looking at it as replacing someone or filling any shoes. I just want to do my job to the best of my ability." T I N S L E Y

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