Penn State Sports Magazine
Issue link: https://comanpub.uberflip.com/i/1524108
A U G U S T 2 0 2 4 4 9 W W W . B L U E W H I T E O N L I N E . C O M / / / / / / / / / / / / / / / / / / / / / / / / / / / / / / / / / / / / / / / / / / / / / / / / W I D E R E C E I V E R S / / / / / / / PERSONNEL POSITION COACH Marques Hagans: Hagans is entering his sec- ond season with the Nittany Lions. He came to Penn State after spending the previous 12 sea- sons at Virginia, his alma mater. During his long tenure with the Cavaliers, Hagans coached the receivers and spent one season (2022) as the as- sociate head coach. A Hampton, Va., native, Hagans ranks 10th in Cavaliers history with 4,877 career passing yards. He was selected in the fifth round of the 2006 NFL Draft by the St. Louis Rams and spent three seasons in the NFL before moving into the coaching ranks in 2011 as a graduate assistant at Virginia. RETURNING SCHOLARSHIP PLAYERS LIAM CLIFFORD R-Jr. | 6-1 | 205 • Played in 13 games with one start last season, totaling 13 catches for 130 yards. • Caught 8 passes for 89 yards while appearing in 12 games as a sophomore in 2022. • Didn't see action in 2021, preserving his freshman eligibility. • Finished his career at St. Xavier High in Cincinnati as the school's all-time leader in receptions (166), receiving yards (2,538) and receiving touchdowns (30). OMARI EVANS Jr. | 6-0 | 190 • Appeared in 11 games in 2023, finishing with 4 catches for 94 yards and a touchdown. • Burned his redshirt by appearing in all 13 games in 2022, finishing with 5 receptions for 55 yards and a score, which came on his first career catch. • Excelled as a quarterback during his senior year at Shoemaker (Texas) High, totaling 853 yards and 8 touchdowns as a quarterback, while also rushing for 818 yards and 8 scores. MEHKI FLOWERS R-So. | 6-0 | 186 • Was moved to wide receiver this spring after spending his first two college seasons at safety. • Played in four games in 2023, mostly on spe- cial teams, and finished with 2 tackles. • Was a two-time all-state selection at Central Dauphin (Pa.) East. ANTHONY IVEY R-So. | 5-11 | 186 • Saw action in one game but did not record any statistics during his redshirt freshman season. • Sat out the 2022 season to preserve his fresh- man eligibility but was the coaching staff's Developmental Squad 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-So. | 6-0 | 185 • Has yet to see game action for the Nittany Lions heading into his redshirt sophomore season. • Totaled 40 catches for 1,278 yards and 15 touchdowns as a senior at Magna Vista (Va.) High. KADEN SAUNDERS R-So. | 5-10 | 176 • Played in 12 games during the 2023 season and totaled 6 catches for 56 yards and a touchdown. • Was Penn State's starting punt returner for the first five games, averaging 6.1 yards on 14 attempts. • Played in three games in 2022 while preserv- ing his freshman eligibility. • Caught 2 passes for 21 yards in the Lions' win over 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 High. HARRISON WALLACE III R-Jr. | 6-1 | 199 • Played in eight games and started six in 2023, finishing with 19 catches for 228 yards and a touchdown. • Played in a career-high 13 games in 2022, totaling 19 receptions 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 JOSIAH BROWN Fr. | 5-11 | 175 • Recovering from an extensive knee injury that cut short his senior season at Malverne (N.Y.) High. Before tearing his ACL, Brown totaled 589 all-purpose yards and 8 touchdowns. • Was a three-star prospect in the On3 Industry Ranking while also earning recognition as the No. 81 wide receiver nationally and No. 3 prospect in New York. TYSEER DENMARK Fr. | 5-10 | 177 • Scored touchdowns on 3 of his 4 catches in the Big 33 Classic in May, finishing with 95 yards and winning Pennsylvania Most Valu- able Player honors in its 31-7 victory over Maryland. • Had 28 catches for 330 yards and 4 touch- downs as a senior at Imhotep Charter in Philadelphia. • Was a three-star prospect in the On3 Industry Ranking, as well as the No. 88 wide receiver nationally and No. 11 player in Pennsylvania. JULIAN FLEMING Sr. | 6-2 | 206 • Played in 38 games and made 22 starts in four seasons at Ohio State before transferring to Penn State in January. • Finished his Buckeye career with 80 catches for 990 yards and 7 touchdowns. • Was a five-star prospect and the nation's No. 1 wide receiver in the class of 2020, per the On3 Industry Ranking. • Named Gatorade's Pennsylvania Player of the Year in 2018 and '19 at Southern Columbia High in Catawissa, Pa. PETER GONZALEZ Fr. | 6-2 | 203 • Holds Pittsburgh Central Catholic's record for career receiving yards (2,240), along with sin- gle-season marks for receiving yards (1,081) and touchdown catches (12). • Awarded three stars in the On3 Industry Ranking and listed as the No. 123 receiver na- tionally and No. 18 prospect in Pennsylvania. Redshirt sophomore Kaden Saunders, who had 6 catches for 56 yards last season, is expected to play a bigger role in the offense this fall. PHOTO BY STEVE MANUEL