Penn State Sports Magazine
Issue link: https://comanpub.uberflip.com/i/1503568
4 6 A U G U S T 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 WIDE RECEIVERS / / / / / / / 2 0 2 3 F O O T B A L L P R E V I E W / / / / / / / / / / / / / / / / / / / / / / / / / / / / / / / / / / / / / / PERSONNEL POSITION COACH Marques Hagans: Hagans is one of two new on- field assistants for Penn State, having been hired this past winter along with defensive line coach Deion Barnes. He comes to the Nittany Lions after spending the past 12 seasons at Virginia, his alma mater. During his long tenure with the Cavaliers, Hagans coached the receivers and spent one sea- son (2022) as the associate head coach. A Hampton, Va., native, Hagans ranks 10th in Cavaliers history with 4,877 career receiving yards. He was selected in the fifth round of the 2006 NFL Draft by the St. Louis Rams and spent three sea- sons in the NFL before moving into the coaching ranks in 2011 as a graduate assistant at Virginia. At Penn State, he will be tasked with replacing starters Parker Washington and Mitchell Tinsley while also developing depth. It can be argued that he has one of the toughest jobs on the coaching staff this year, based on the relative lack of proven productivity. KeAndre Lambert-Smith and Harrison Wallace III are the only returning wideouts who had more than 8 catches last year. RETURNING SCHOLARSHIP PLAYERS LIAM CLIFFORD R-So. | 6-1 | 198 • Caught 8 passes for 89 yards while appearing in 12 games as a redshirt freshman in 2022. • Didn't see action in 2021, preserving his fresh- man eligibility. • Finished his career at St. Xavier (Ohio) High as the school's all-time leader in receptions (166), receiving yards (2,538) and receiving touch- downs (30). CRISTIAN DRIVER R-Fr. | 5-11 | 188 • Began his Penn State career at cornerback and saw action in four games as a true freshman. • Switched to offense following the 2022 sea- son. • Was a four-star prospect in the On3 Industry Ranking coming out of Liberty Christian School in Argyle, Texas. OMARI EVANS So. | 6-0 | 185 • Burned his redshirt by appearing in all 13 games last season, finishing with 5 receptions for 55 yards and a score, which came on his first career catch. • Started Penn State's season opener at Purdue. • Excelled as a quarterback during his senior year at Shoemaker (Texas) High, totaling 853 yards and 8 touchdowns, while also rushing for 818 yards and 8 scores. ANTHONY IVEY R-Fr. | 5-11 | 180 • Sat out the 2022 season to preserve his freshman eligibility but was named the scout team's offensive player of the week before the Michigan game. • Finished with 875 all-purpose yards as a senior at Manheim Township (Pa.) High, including 49 catches for 654 yards and 9 touchdowns. TYLER JOHNSON R-Fr. | 6-0 | 187 • Did not see game action in 2022 but was the scout team's offensive player of the week be- fore the Maryland game. • Totaled 40 catches for 1,278 yards and 15 touchdowns as a senior at Magna Vista (Va.) High. KeANDRE LAMBERT-SMITH Jr. | 6-1 | 188 • Started eight games in 2022 and finished with 24 catches for 389 yards and 4 touchdowns, while also throwing a touchdown pass against Auburn. • Enjoyed the first 100-yard receiving game of his career in the Rose Bowl, finishing with 3 catches for 124 yards against Utah, including an 88-yard touchdown grab that stands as the longest pass play in the bowl's history. • Had 3 catches for 74 yards and a touchdown in the Outback Bowl to conclude the 2021 season. • Was a 13-game starter in 2021, finishing with 34 catches for 521 yards and 5 touchdowns and ranking sixth in the Big Ten with an aver- age of 15.3 yards per catch. MALICK MEIGA Jr. | 6-4 | 204 • Caught 3 passes for 19 yards in 2022 while playing in 12 games. • Played extensively on special teams and finished the year with 4 tackles and a forced fumble on a punt return in the Lions' win over Michigan State. KADEN SAUNDERS R-Fr. | 5-10 | 180 • Played in three games in 2022 while preserv- ing his freshman eligibility. • Caught 2 passes for 21 yards against Ohio. • Had 38 catches for 392 yards, 28 carries for 324 yards, and 10 kickoff returns for 269 yards as a senior at Westerville (Ohio) South. HARRISON WALLACE III R-So. | 6-1 | 194 • Played in 13 games in 2022, totaling 19 re- ceptions for 273 yards and 1 touchdown. • Played in three games without a catch in 2021, preserving his freshman eligibility. • Was named team MVP at Pike Road (Ala.) High following the 2019 and '20 seasons. • Caught 27 passes for 696 yards and 7 touch- downs as a senior, while adding 115 yards and a score on 13 carries. NEWCOMERS DANTE CEPHAS R-Sr. | 6-0 | 187 • The portal acquisition was a first-team All- Mid-American Conference pick for Kent State in 2022 after hauling in 48 passes for 744 yards and 3 touchdowns. • Set career highs in receptions (82), yards (1,240) and touchdowns (13) in 2021 while becoming the first Golden Flashes receiver since 1997 to break the 1,000-yard mark in a season. MALIK McCLAIN Jr. | 6-4 | 200 • Played in 13 games and made three starts for Florida State in 2022, finishing with 17 recep- tions for 206 yards and 3 touchdowns. • Started nine of 12 games in 2021 for the Semi- noles, totaling 16 catches for 190 yards and 2 touchdowns. CARMELO TAYLOR Fr. | 5-11 | 162 • Was a four-star prospect and the No. 298 player nationally, No. 43 receiver and No. 7 prospect in Virginia in the 2023 class, per the On3 Industry Ranking. • Totaled 47 catches for 943 yards and 17 touchdowns as a senior at Patrick Henry High in Roanoke. Harrison Wallace III finished seventh on the team as a redshirt freshman with 19 catches for 273 yards and a touchdown. PHOTO BY RYAN SNYDER