Penn State Sports Magazine
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6 6 S E P T E M B E R 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 T alking season is all but over across college football. Conference and team media days have concluded. Preseason practices are underway. There will be a handful of media availabilities with Penn State head coach James Franklin, his staff, and their players between now and the end of August. For the most part, though, everything that needs to be said already has been. Before we know it, game week will be here. The entire Penn State football pro- gram is looking forward to the season's start, but no position group is champ- ing at the bit quite like the receivers. This unit wants to put the offseason behind it and don the pads at West Vir- ginia on Aug. 31. Second-year position coach Marques Hagans' group has been questioned ceaselessly since the 2023 season ended and the focus shifted to 2024. It all began with the winter transfer portal window. Despite putting vari- ous lines in the water, the Nittany Li- ons ended up with only senior Julian Fleming, who joined the team after a four-year career at Ohio State in which he was a productive part of a power- ful Buckeye offense but never quite reached his five-star potential. At the start of spring drills, there were many questions about whether Fleming, KeAndre Lambert-Smith or redshirt junior Harrison Wallace III would exit the 15 practices with a bead on the No. 1 receiver role. Shortly after the Blue-White Game, Lambert-Smith hit the portal and ultimately ended up at Auburn. Although his departure seemed to be a net positive, with both sides looking like they needed a fresh start, it did deprive Penn State of its most accomplished receiver. All the right things were said over the summer. Redshirt junior Liam Clifford moved into a leadership role alongside Fleming. Both brought a better mind- set at the top of the room to lead the group. Wallace, finally healthy, flashed dur- ing spring practice and built on that performance over the summer. He said in early August that he's bigger, faster and healthier than he's ever been. Two 2024 signees, Peter Gonzalez and Ty- seer Denmark, made it to campus this summer, with both showing potential in early preseason practices. Also, four redshirt sophomores — Kaden Saunders, Tyler Johnson, Mehki Flowers and Anthony Ivey — started another set of August practices with hopes that this would be the year they could finally climb the depth chart and carve out an established role on game day. "This is a group of guys who are committed to working every day and competing and getting better," Hagans said. "I'm proud to be their coach, and I think they're taking the necessary steps to get better every day." The receivers have tried to ignore the outside noise, but they hear it and recognize why their position group is being talked about so harshly. Yet, besides possibly adding fuel to what should already be a fire that can't be put out, there's little good that can come from dwelling on it. "We've just got to focus on our- selves," Saunders said. "We can't listen to anything outside this build- ing. We should really only care about what people in this building say. If our coaches or teammates point something out, then we'll address it. But other than that, we just go to work every day and try to get better." Penn State fans are hoping they are better. The success of the Nittany Lions' offense in its first year under coordinator Andy Kotelnicki depends on it. Even if the receivers do not want to admit it publicly, there's little doubt that, internally, they fully understand what's at stake. "There are still some steps that need to be taken there for that entire room," Franklin said in August. "Obviously, that's been a big question mark for the media and some of the fans. I think the coaching staff and the players have a good amount of confidence in what that room has the ability to do and the amount of work that they've put in." Real, tangible improvement is a must for everyone, but especially for the players in Hagans' room. That is why, among all members of the program, they must be the most eager to maxi- mize camp and start showcasing what they can do. ■ O P I N I O N GREG PICKEL GREG.PICKEL@ON3.COM Receivers Tune Out Noise, But Also Hope To Make Some THE LAST WORD Preparing for his second season in charge of Penn State's wide receivers, assistant coach Marques Hagans said his players are "taking the necessary steps to get better every day." PHOTO BY STEVE MANUEL