Penn State Sports Magazine
Issue link: https://comanpub.uberflip.com/i/1524108
4 8 A U G U S T 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 / / / / / / / 2 0 2 4 F O O T B A L L P R E V I E W / / / / / / / / / / / / / / / / / / / / / / / / / / / / / / / / / / / / / / PRESEASON ANALYSIS ★★★★★ National Title; ★★★★ Top 10; ★★★ Top 25; ★★ Too Unproven; ★ Major Concern STARTERS ★★ Redshirt junior Harrison Wallace III was healthy again this spring after an injury-plagued sophomore campaign that ended with him being helped off the field late in the Peach Bowl against Ole Miss. If he's able to play a full season this fall, it will go a long way toward addressing the ques- tions that have dogged this unit for the past two seasons. With 38 career catches for 501 yards and 2 touchdowns, he's easily the most productive of PSU's returning wideouts. Junior Omari Evans is expected to be the other starting outside receiver, with redshirt sopho- more Kaden Saunders and redshirt junior Liam Clifford battling for the slot position. Between them, Evans, Saunders and Clifford have amassed 38 career catches. EXPERIENCE ★★ Senior transfer Julian Fleming spent four sea- sons in an outstanding Ohio State receivers room. He played in 38 games during his tenure with the Buckeyes, lining up alongside the likes of Garrett Wilson, Chris Olave, Jaxon Smith-Njigba and Mar- vin Harrison Jr., all first-round draft picks. No other Penn State wide receiver boasts anywhere near that level of game experience. Wallace, the Lions' most accomplished returning wideout, has been a key contributor the past two seasons when healthy, but injuries have kept him from becoming the breakout star the team has so desperately needed. DEPTH ★★ Is Penn State two-deep at the wide receiver positions? Possibly not. We don't even know yet whether the Nittany Lions are one-deep, so it seems fair to say that this is a concern. Penn State's seven returning scholarship wide- outs have totaled 76 career catches for 946 yards and 5 touchdowns. Redshirt sophomores Tyler Johnson, Anthony Ivey and Mehki Flowers have yet to catch a pass at the college level. The Nittany Lions may be getting some help from their incoming freshman class. They signed three wideouts in December, and On3 three-star prospect Tyseer Denmark of Imhotep Charter in Philadelphia offered a tantalizing preview of his collegiate potential when he totaled 4 catches for 95 yards and 3 touchdowns in the Big 33 Classic on May 28. OVERALL GRADE ★★ Head coach James Franklin has said that Penn State's receivers room has the talent to be suc- cessful at the Big Ten level. "All those guys are in the locker room for a reason," he noted during spring practice. "We have belief in those guys. We believe they're ready to take the next step." That may be true, but there's still a lot to prove after a disappointing 2023 season. Only one Penn State receiver — KeAndre Lambert-Smith — ranked among the Big Ten's top 30 last year according to Pro Football Focus. Lambert-Smith, who finished 12th overall with a 74.0 receiving grade, has since transferred to Auburn. Of Penn State's returning wideouts, only two — Wallace and Clifford — made PFF's top 50. Among Big Ten wideouts with 20 or more catches, Wallace was tied for 32nd (62.4) and Clifford was 37th (61.5). It's possible that Fleming will elevate this group. It's also possible that first-year offensive coordi- nator Andy Kotelnicki will be able to find some workarounds if the wideouts aren't able to de- liver what the offense needs. He could use junior running backs Nicholas Singleton and Kaytron Al- len in the slot, or employ two tight ends, as Penn State did frequently last year. For now, this position group is Penn State's big- gest question mark. BY THE NUMBERS 3 Touchdown catches last year by Penn State receivers who are returning in 2024. Harrison Wallace III, Kaden Saunders and Liam Clifford each caught 1 scoring pass last fall. 5 Receivers from last year's team who entered the transfer portal during the offseason. The Lions lost KeAndre Lambert-Smith, Dante Cephas, Malik McClain, Malick Meiga and Cristian Driver. Together, those wideouts had 85 catches for 1,007 yards and 7 touchdowns in 2023. 15.7 Julian Fleming's average yards per catch during the 2023 season. The Ohio State transfer ranked third in the Big Ten in that category during what would turn out to be his final season in Columbus, and he was seventh in the league with 6 receiving touchdowns. Junior Omari Evans emerged from spring practice as a likely starter at one of the Lions' outside receiver positions. PHOTO BY STEVE MANUEL