Penn State Sports Magazine
Issue link: https://comanpub.uberflip.com/i/1511150
2 6 D E C E M B E R 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 Through the Maryland game, he had 5 catches for 43 yards and a score this season. Saunders' most extensive action earlier in the year was as Penn State's starting punt returner, but he lost that job to redshirt senior Daequan Hardy at midseason. A former four-star recruit from Co- lumbus, Ohio, Saunders has done some nice things so far but has yet to break out. He's got good speed and quickness, but not the rare speed that we thought he possessed as a recruit. He came to Penn State needing to improve physi- cally and, to his credit, he's made up some ground in that area, having added about five pounds. Saunders had a solid preseason camp, but he was still clearly in that second tier of wideouts head- ing into the season. His showing this year indicates that consistency is still elusive. Saunders is an interesting case. He shows some good potential, but his ceiling does not appear to be as high as it was thought to be a few years ago. There's probably a gear under there that we haven't yet seen, but his processing doesn't have him playing as naturally fast as we once expected to see. Omari Evans SO. | 6-0 | 189 In contrast to Saunders, Evans does have elite speed, and that's why Penn State's coaching staff was hopeful he could provide something for the group this year. He played as a true freshman and showed some encouraging signs in the spring that positioned him as the leader for the third starting position heading into the summer. Then the sea- son began, and he all but disappeared. Through nine games, Evans had just 2 catches, one of which was a 4-yard touchdown grab against Delaware. Evans began the campaign injured and missed the opener against West Virginia. He had 118 snaps through eight games and has been anonymous when he's been out there. Although he's Penn State's fastest receiver, he some- times calls to mind the familiar track- guy-playing-football critique. He's not physical, either as a route-runner or as a downfield blocker. That deficiency has also hurt him in contested-catch situations. Evans looked to be on the cusp of breaking out a few months ago, but he seems further from that threshold than ever at this point. Anthony Ivey R-FR. | 5-11 | 180 The first sign that the coaching staff likes Ivey's potential appeared when he made the travel roster for the Ohio State game. He didn't play against the Buck- eyes, but at least he was there. Ivey has only played in two games in his career, and there were walk-ons who saw the field instead of him against Delaware earlier this season. That said, he's still probably the most naturally talented wideout in this young group. The book coming in on Ivey has held up. His focus and maturity, while improved, are still not where they need to be in order for him to be an impact player. But while he's not ready to make a dent on the depth chart just yet, Penn State firmly believes he has some good years in front of him. That's why the staff wants to keep him around for the future instead of letting him slip into the portal this offseason. Ivey can be a future contributor and even a poten- tial starter, but achieving those goals will require him to focus on the right things. Omari Evans seemed to be on the fast track in the spring but was hurt at the start of the season and has not made a significant impact as a sophomore. PHOTO BY DANIEL ALTHOUSE "What we've been trying to do, really for the last year, is to get some consistency. If you're constantly just rotating guys in, then it's hard for them to get into a rhythm." J A M E S F R A N K L I N