Penn State Sports Magazine
Issue link: https://comanpub.uberflip.com/i/1520787
2 4 J U N E / J U L 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 the portal closed at the end of April, the Lions hadn't made any additions. That most likely leaves three wild card factors to consider. The first is player health and availabil- ity. Two of the starters in the Blue-White Game — Wallace and junior Omari Evans — missed time last season. Wallace played in eight games, but he left two of them early with injuries, meaning that he really only played in six. Evans saw action in 11 games, but in three of them he played fewer than 15 offensive snaps. Throw in Fleming's career history of shoulder problems, and redshirt sophomore Mehki Flowers' absence from spring practice due to an injury, and there is ample reason for concern on the health front. The second wild card is genuine off- season development. While there's ev- ery reason to believe that the 6-foot-2, 209-pound Fleming will turn out to be the big-bodied, possession receiver the Lions were looking for when they brought him in, and while Clifford fills an impor- tant niche, many of the other wideouts — Wallace, Evans, Saunders, and redshirt sophomores Anthony Ivey and Tyler Johnson — haven't reached their poten- tial for whatever reason. This offseason is critical to their collective development, as it is for Allar heading into his junior campaign. The third wild card is in the true fresh- man class. Josiah Brown suffered a torn ACL in his senior season and is unlikely to make an impact at the position this fall. Peter Gonzalez, meanwhile, appears to be more of a developmental player with long-term potential. But Gonzalez's fellow summer en- rollee, Tyseer Denmark, could prove to be different. A three-star prospect out of Imhotep Charter in Philadelphia, Den- mark originally committed to Oregon but later changed his mind and signed with PSU. He missed part of his senior sea- son due to PIAA transfer rules (he previ- ously attended Roman Catholic), but he still caught 28 passes for 330 yards and 4 touchdowns. "Tyseer is a guy who we got to know really well early on," Franklin said in De- cember. "He was a high-profile guy in the state. We were able to evaluate him on film but then also in seven-on-seven live in camp. Just supreme confidence, ball skills, change of direction. It was obvi- ous very early on that we wanted him. We felt like he had a chance to be a difference maker for us in this class." Denmark is strategically positioned in a prime spot, making him a valuable wild card addition to Penn State's roster this offseason. His position increases the likelihood that he will make an instant impact. ■ Liam Clifford is expected to play a bigger role in Penn State's passing game heading into his redshirt junior season. PHOTO BY STEVE MANUEL Penn State's 2024 Wide Receiver Corps* No. Name Elig. Ht. Wt. Home School/Last College 2 Liam Clifford R-Jr. 6-1 203 Maineville, Ohio St. Xavier 3 Julian Fleming Sr. 6-2 209 Catawissa, Pa. Southern Columbia/Ohio State 5 Omari Evans Jr. 6-0 185 Killeen, Texas Shoemaker 6 Harrison Wallace III R-Jr. 6-1 196 Montgomery, Ala. Pike Road 7 Kaden Saunders R-So. 5-10 176 Columbus, Ohio Westerville South 8 Tyler Johnson R-So. 6-0 197 Martinsville, Va. Magna Vista 12 Anthony Ivey R-So. 5-11 178 Lancaster, Pa. Manheim Township 19 Josiah Brown Fr. 5-11 175 Malverne, N.Y. Malverne 31 Logan Cunningham R-So. 5-8 188 Belle Vernon, Pa. Belle Vernon/Marietta College 36 Feyisayo Oluleye R-Sr. 6-1 207 Lancaster, Pa. Bishop McDevitt 80 Mehki Flowers R-So. 6-0 187 Harrisburg, Pa. Central Dauphin East 82 Ethan Black R-Fr. 5-9 171 Davidsville, Pa. Conemaugh Township 83 Jake Spencer R-Sr. 5-10 214 Gladwyne, Pa. Haverford School/Colgate 86 Jason Estrella R-Jr. 6-2 193 Tallahassee, Fla. Liberty (Bethlehem, Pa.) — Tyseer Denmark Fr. 5-10 180 Philadelphia Imhotep Charter — Peter Gonzalez Fr. 6-2 200 Pittsburgh Central Catholic * As of May 12