Penn State Sports Magazine
Issue link: https://comanpub.uberflip.com/i/1524108
A U G U S T 2 0 2 4 47 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 / / / / / / / Ohio State and Michigan, the passing attack was entirely ineffective. The wideouts contributed only 18 catches for 132 yards in those two outings, and they fared little better in the Peach Bowl. Wallace and Liam Clifford to- taled 7 catches for 93 yards against Ole Miss, but all of that came in the fourth quarter when PSU was in a double-digit hole, and no other wide receiver had a single reception. The Lions went into the offseason knowing that those numbers would not suffice if the team was going to reach its potential in 2024. Franklin put it bluntly. Speaking to BWI earlier this summer, he said, "There needs to be a significant step this year, so that not only are they a big-time unit, but one of the better units in our conference." The transfer portal brought help in the form of former Ohio State receiver Ju- lian Fleming, but it also brought trouble, with last year's leading pass catcher, Ke- Andre Lambert-Smith, bolting for Au- burn following spring practice. Amid the comings and goings, the team's experienced returnees — Saun- ders and juniors Omari Evans, Har- rison Wallace III and Clifford — knew they would need to step up. To that end, they've been putting in as much work as possible with each other, and with the JUGS and Monarc machines, the latter being a "robotic quarterback" that can track receivers as they run their routes. "A big emphasis this winter and spring was on getting catches every day," Saun- ders said. "I think we definitely did a way better job. Everybody in the room was getting catches every day, whether that's on the Monarc or just the regular JUGS machine." Allar, a junior who is entering his second season as the Lions' starting quarterback, said he's seen the im- provements firsthand. "Kaden has taken his game to the next level. Fleming has helped him a ton," Allar said. "It's just really cool to see everybody's evolution. Ev- erybody has a different journey, but Kaden and Omari are on a really good track right now. I'm super proud of them." The team's struggles last year led to a change in offensive leadership, with Andy Kotelnicki arriving from Kansas to replace Mike Yurcich. Ko- telnicki has a reputation for finding creative ways of generating big plays. That capacity was lacking last season, particularly in the team's biggest games. Saunders said the new approach, cou- pled with the receivers' continued de- velopment, has been invigorating. "I feel like we have more trust in each other," he said. "Everyone's so excited about Coach K's offense, they're willing to put in extra work and work on know- ing the playbook, knowing the routes. I feel like everyone's just excited." ■ Scholarship Players (11) No. Player Yr. Ht. Wt. 19 Josiah Brown Fr. 5-11 175 2 Liam Clifford R.-Jr. 6-1 205 4 Tyseer Denmark Fr. 5-10 177 5 Omari Evans Jr. 6-0 190 3 Julian Fleming Sr. 6-2 206 80 Mehki Flowers R-So. 6-0 186 84 Peter Gonzalez Fr. 6-2 203 12 Anthony Ivey R.-So. 5-11 186 8 Tyler Johnson R-So. 6-0 185 7 Kaden Saunders R.-So. 5-10 176 6 Harrison Wallace III R-Jr. 6-1 199 2023 vs. 2024: Stock Up Or Down? The Nittany Lions return six scholarship wideouts, and at least four of them — redshirt juniors Harrison Wallace III and Liam Clifford, junior Omari Evans and redshirt sophomore Kaden Saunders — are at the point in their careers where you would expect them to take big steps forward. There's not much choice, if the Lions are going to get where they want to go. They lost last year's top two wideouts to the transfer portal, with KeAndre Lambert-Smith and Dante Cephas departing for Auburn and Kansas State, respectively, after combining to catch 75 passes for 919 yards in 2023. Penn State did make a high-profile portal acquisition, plucking senior Ju- lian Fleming from the country's best receivers room at Ohio State. Whether he's able to elevate a group that underachieved last year is one of the sea- son's biggest unknowns. X-Factor Does Penn State have a WR1 on its roster? Wallace has flashed, but he's had trouble staying healthy. Fleming was a nice pickup, but he, too, has battled injuries and was always more of a complementary threat at Ohio State. Evans and Saunders have yet to show the consistency that the coach- ing staff has been seeking. Lambert-Smith was likewise up-and-down, but he did finish 10th in the Big Ten with 673 receiving yards last year. No one on the current roster has shown he's capable of that level of productivity. Not yet, at least. Freshman Outlook There is definitely an opportunity here for a freshman to make an early impact. Of the three first-year wideouts on the roster, Tyseer Denmark has gotten the most attention. The 5-foot-10, 177-pound Philadelphian caught 3 touchdown passes in the Big 33 Classic in May, winning game MVP hon- ors. Denmark hasn't had much chance to acclimate yet, but he'll be given every opportunity to show that he can help this team in 2024. Redshirt junior Liam Clifford is in contention for the starting slot receiver spot after catching 13 passes for 130 yards last season. PHOTO BY STEVE MANUEL