Penn State Sports Magazine
Issue link: https://comanpub.uberflip.com/i/1512721
5 0 J A N U A R Y 2 0 2 4 W W W . B L U E W H I T E O N L I N E . C O M E D I T O R I A L M AT T H E R B M AT T. H E R B @ O N 3 . C O M S hortly after concluding its 2022 foot- ball season with a rousing Rose Bowl victory over Utah, Penn State earned the first big win of its 2023 campaign. Or so the Nittany Lions thought. Within minutes of the team's 35-21 triumph in Pasadena, NC State wide receiver Devin Carter announced that he would be transferring to Penn State. It seemed like a perfect match. PSU needed a talent infusion at wideout, and Carter had displayed game-breaking potential with the Wolfpack, averaging a team- best 17.9 yards per catch in 2022. The union didn't last, though. A few days after announcing for Penn State, Carter reversed field, revealing that he would be attending West Virginia in- stead. He later explained, "I felt I would get more volume here and more produc- tion." Carter's change of heart was quickly forgotten amid the tumult of a chaotic offseason throughout college football, but there's a case to be made that it had a significant effect on Penn State's 2023 season. Carter ended up catching 27 passes for 501 yards and 2 touchdowns for the Mountaineers. His 18.6-yard average was second-best on the team among players with more than 10 receptions. What's more, Carter came up big in some of West Virginia's toughest matchups. He had 6 catches for 90 yards against Penn State, 3 for 54 yards and a touchdown against Oklahoma State, and 3 for 67 yards and a score versus Oklahoma. Back at PSU, the two transfer wide- outs that James Franklin and his staff signed in Carter's stead — senior Dante Cephas from Kent State and junior Ma- lik McClain from Florida State — com- bined to make 28 catches for 317 yards and 3 scores. Most of that productivity was a result of Cephas' late-season surge, but almost none of it came in Penn State's two biggest games. Against Ohio State and Michigan, Cephas had 4 catches for 39 yards. McClain didn't have any receptions in those games. His last catch of the season came in Week 3 at Illinois. In the years since the NCAA ushered in a form of unrestricted free agency by loosening its transfer restrictions, the Nittany Lions have had some spectacular successes. Junior defensive end Chop Robinson is the most obvious example, having earned first-team All-Big Ten notice this year while establishing himself as a likely first-round NFL Draft pick. The Lions also have a future draftee in their secondary in senior cornerback Johnny Dixon. In 2021, they welcomed defensive end Arnold Ebiketie and watched him develop into a first-team All-Big Ten player and second-round draftee. Last year, they nabbed wideout Mitchell Tin- sley and got 51 catches for 577 yards and 5 scores. And it also bears mentioning that the Lions found two very good specialists this year in senior kicker Alex Felkins and senior punter Riley Thompson. The arrival of those players had an im- mediate impact for Penn State — a boost that would have been impossible in the days when the NCAA's cumbersome restrictions discouraged players from changing schools. The challenge PSU now faces with the portal window having opened on Dec. 4 is to bolster the roster in every phase of the game. The defense is going to need help, particularly at cornerback, where an un- expected recruiting loss — heralded juco transfer Sione Laulea opted for Oregon just when he was thought to be on the verge of committing to PSU — is likely to have repercussions. In the kicking game, Felkins is depart- ing, and Thompson's eligibility status is unclear, given that his eligibility clock started ticking while he was still in his native Australia. On offense, the Lions still need help at wide receiver. For the second year in a row, this position group looks like Penn State's biggest need. Sophomore quarterback Drew Al- lar offered some tantalizing glimpses of what he can do when his receivers are able to stretch a defense. But will the Lions have such receivers in 2024? Their top four pass catchers this year all walked on Senior Day. The returning wideouts combined to make 42 catches for 495 yards during the recently concluded regular season. The leader of that group — redshirt sophomore Harrison Wallace III with 15 catches for 161 yards — played in only six games due to injuries. Maybe there are some young wideouts on the current team who are prepared to step into bigger roles. Sophomore Omari Evans' 60-yard catch against Michigan State was an encouraging sign. Maybe Wallace will have better luck staying healthy next year. Maybe an incoming freshman will make a strong impression during the offseason. But the Lions can't afford to assume that a series of best-case scenarios will all come true. If they're going to make the most of the opportunity that Al- lar's presence affords them, they need to rack up some portal wins in the coming weeks. ■ Dante Cephas was Penn State's fourth-leading receiver during the regular season with 22 catches for 246 yards and 2 touchdowns. PHOTO BY STEVE MANUEL Lions Will Need Some Victories In The Transfer Portal VARSITY VIEWS