Penn State Sports Magazine
Issue link: https://comanpub.uberflip.com/i/1537537
1 6 A U G U S T 2 0 2 5 W W W . B L U E W H I T E O N L I N E . C O M When Troy traveled to Iowa last September for a nonconference game at Kinnick Stadium, the result was a 38-21 Hawkeyes victory — not entirely unexpected given the talent disparity between the Big Ten and Sun Belt con- ferences. But while Iowa rolled to a comfortable win, the visitors did some damage, and much of it was inflicted by wide receiver Devonte Ross. A junior at the time, Ross had 5 catches for 142 yards and scored all 3 of the Trojans' touchdowns. The 5-foot-10, 170-pound wideout broke free on pass receptions of 62 and 63 yards and also scored on a 77-yard punt return. When Ross' name appeared in the transfer portal last December, Penn State coach James Franklin flashed back to that performance in Iowa City. It showed that Ross could be effective against a solid Big Ten defense. That was just what the Nittany Lions were looking for when they began scouring the portal in an effort to upgrade their wide receiver corps ahead of the 2025 campaign. Ross finished the season with 76 catches for 1,043 yards and 11 scores, earning first-team All-Sun Belt Confer- ence honors. He also was a second-team choice as a return specialist after averag- ing 17 yards on 9 punt runbacks. In January, the Cartersville, Ga., na- tive joined the Nittany Lions. He and fellow senior transfers Kyron Hudson (formerly of USC) and Trebor Peña (Syr- acuse) will team up with senior quar- terback Drew Allar to lead Penn State's passing attack this fall. Ross recently sat down to discuss his transition from the Group of Five to the highest level of the Power Four. QUESTION: What's it been like for you, coming to a program with the kind of resources that Penn State has? DEVONTE ROSS: "It's been surreal, just being here at an institution like this. The first couple months at a new place, obviously you're getting used to the en- vironment. The weather is way different than where I'm from in Georgia. "But I'm growing. With the strength staff and nutritionists that we have, all the resources that we have, being in spring practice, getting to know all my teammates, it's been amazing. They've been open to me. Everybody's been amazing, so it's been good." QUESTION: What was the pitch from Penn State's staff to get you on campus? And what were you looking for? ROSS: "I was really just looking for an opportunity. Coming from a smaller school, just getting a chance to come play at a school like this, at this level and this magnitude, just getting the oppor- tunity to showcase my abilities, that's really what it was." QUESTION: What was the adjust- ment like in terms of the resources that you have here in this program? ROSS: "It's Penn State. It's amazing to have everything you need. You're obviously getting bigger every day, be- ing in the weight room. The strength staff is amazing, the nutritionists. They have everything you need to be successful." QUESTION: How has the nutrition program helped you prepare for this level of football? ROSS: "I feel like it's made me more powerful. We have a great nutritionist, Leanne [Louden, director for football nutrition]. She does a great job making sure we're getting all our meals — pro- tein shakes after workouts, whatever it is that we need to get better, help our body be better." QUESTION: How have you gone about building a rapport with Drew Al- lar? ROSS: "Every day, I want to come out here and prove myself to Drew and my teammates, [show them] that I can make plays on this team. In the offsea- son, I'm just running routes every day, building that chemistry, and then com- ing out here and making sure I'm trying to catch the ball whenever he throws it to me, so I can gain that trust from him." QUESTION: What did you know about Drew and the receiver corps be- fore you got to Penn State? ROSS: "I knew a lot. When I was considering coming here, I watched the [College Football Playoff ]. I knew Drew is an amazing quarterback, and I wanted to play for a quarterback like Drew, someone who can throw the ball and is a great person." QUESTION: James Franklin said your performance against Iowa last season sparked his interest in you. What do you remember about that game? And what do you think it says about your ability to compete at the Big Ten level? ROSS: "That was a blessing, to be able to go out there and do what I did. Credit to my teammates, obviously, but [it was gratifying] just getting to play on that stage and getting a feel for what it could be like in the Big Ten and per- forming at that level. You get an under- standing of what it takes to be success- ful on this level." ■ Sitting Down With Senior Wide Receiver Devonte Ross Ross made his Penn State debut in the Blue-White Game in April. He's coming off a junior season at Troy in which he led the Sun Belt Conference with 11 touchdown catches. PHOTO BY MARK SELDERS/PENN STATE ATHLETICS