Penn State Sports Magazine
Issue link: https://comanpub.uberflip.com/i/1490816
2 8 F E B R U A R Y 2 0 2 3 W W W . B L U E W H I T E O N L I N E . C O M KEY LOSSES Jaden Dottin Redshirt junior entered the transfer portal in January after a PSU career in which he saw ac- tion in five games, with 2 catches for 14 yards. Mitchell Tinsley Made the most of his lone season in State Col- lege after transferring from Western Kentucky. Tinsley caught a team-high 51 passes for 577 yards and 5 touchdowns in 2022. Parker Washington Caught 146 passes for 1,920 yards and 12 touchdowns in three seasons with the Nittany Lions. His junior campaign was cut short by a late-season injury, and he declared for the draft in December. KEY RETURNEES Liam Clifford | R-So. Made 8 catches for 89 yards in his first season of action and will compete for a starting role in 2023. Cristian Driver | R-Fr. Listed as an athlete on Penn State's roster but is expected to play wide receiver this spring after starting out in the defensive backfield last fall. Omari Evans | So. Burned his redshirt as a freshman but finished with only 5 catches for 55 yards and a touch- down. Anthony Ivey | R-Fr. Did not see game action in his first season at 2023 Outlook Penn State has reason to feel good about most aspects of its offense in 2023. The Lions are confident that sophomore Drew Allar is ready to take over at quarterback. Proven production returns at running back, at tight end and along the offensive line. One major question will linger over coor- dinator Mike Yurcich's attack this offseason, though: How will a new-look receiving corps perform? That question encompasses the coaching staff as well as the roster. On Jan. 15, Penn State parted ways with receivers coach Taylor Stubblefield af- ter three seasons. Stubblefield had a hand in Jahan Dotson's emergence as a first-round draft pick, but the Lions haven't been able to build the kind of depth they want. The team's new position coach, former Virginia assistant Marques Hagans, will have to hit the ground running. Unlike the past two years, there is no clear No. 1 option entering spring practice. Junior KeAndre Lambert-Smith is coming off an outstanding Rose Bowl performance in which he totaled 124 yards on 3 receptions, includ- ing an 88-yard touchdown catch, the longest in Rose Bowl history. He's had big moments before, however, and hasn't been able to parlay them into consistent success. His fourth year in State College will have to be his best yet, because only Kent State transfer Dante Cephas has enjoyed sustained productivity at the college level. Aside from Lambert-Smith, none of the returning wideouts have exten- sive résumés. Redshirt sophomore Harrison Wallace III leads the way with 19 career catches; no one else has more than 8. On Jan. 18, the final day of the transfer portal window, the Lions landed some additional pass-catching help by signing Malik McClain, a former On3 Consensus four-star prospect from IMG Academy in Florida. McClain spent his first two seasons at Florida State, where he started nine games. — Greg Pickel Lions Need Unproven Wideouts To Step Up KeAndre Lambert-Smith is Penn State's top returning pass catcher after finishing with 24 receptions for 389 yards and 4 scores as a third-year sophomore in 2022. PHOTO BY DANIEL ALTHOUSE 2023 LOOK AHEAD WIDE RECEIVERS