Blue White Illustrated

August 2025

Penn State Sports Magazine

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4 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 / / / / / / / 2 0 2 5 F O O T B A L L P R E V I E W / / / / / / / / / / / / / / / / / / / / / / / / / / / / / / / / / / / / / / a class-on-the-grass kind of moment where we went out to the practice field. On this projector they have, we went over what felt like 200 plays. And guess who was with us that entire time? Their quar- terback, Drew Allar. "We really got to see how they would use him. Their offensive coordinator was super excited about how they could use him, plus Kyron's connection with their QB was great. I could tell right away that those two are going to get along great." 'Just Make The Plays' Hudson has been dreaming about playing professional sports since he was a kid. Basketball was his primary focus up through his freshman year at Mater Dei High in Santa Ana, Calif. But follow- ing his first season, he received a schol- arship offer to play football at Oregon. That changed everything. "I was in and out of football. I really had a love for basketball and thought I was going to play basketball more than football," Hudson said. "I took that more seriously until I got to high school. But then I ended up getting my first offer for football, and I started focusing on that." He went on to develop into a four-star prospect. Due to COVID, his senior sea- son consisted of only three games in the spring of 2021, but as a junior he totaled 59 catches for 853 yards and 13 touch- downs. It wasn't just the Ducks who were chasing him by that point; he also had offers from LSU, Penn State, Ne- braska, Arizona State and more. Hudson stayed home to play for USC and, after redshirting in 2021, he saw ac- tion in 39 games over the next three sea- sons, catching 70 passes for 803 yards and 8 scores. His signature moment came against LSU last September when he made one of the season's most spec- tacular catches, a leaping one-handed grab over a Tigers defender that helped the Trojans earn a 27-20 victory. USC ended up finishing 7-6 in its first year of Big Ten membership, the worst of its three seasons under coach Lincoln Ri- ley. Afterward, Hudson decided to move on. His personal and team goals were in- tertwined, and he was determined to find a program where he could chase both. "I wanted to come to a school that was going to help me prepare for the next level, but also compete for a national championship, and be that guy, show the world what type of player I am," he said. "Penn State was the most exciting spot to be at. It wasn't a hard choice." Now comes the real challenge. Hud- son is well aware that his position group will be under heavy scrutiny this fall. He knows that previous receiver con- tingents have underperformed at Penn State, and he also knows what he must do to help change perceptions. "Just make the plays," he said. "It's simple — make the plays and just be our- selves. At the end of the day, if we do that, the rest will take care of itself." ■ 2024 vs. 2025: Stock Up Or Down? This may be the most important question of Penn State's entire offseason. The Nittany Lions made a lot of moves, but did they get better? Given the absence of any Power Four opponents on the nonconference schedule, we likely won't know until PSU takes the field against Oregon on Sept. 27 for its Big Ten opener. When the Lions lost to the Ducks, 45-37, in last year's Big Ten Championship Game, Harrison Wallace III and Omari Evans were the only wideouts to catch passes, totaling 5 receptions for 81 yards. Thanks to its portal moves, Penn State looks deeper now than it was last December. Even so, there's not enough evidence yet to say whether this stock is a buy or a sell. X-Factor Penn State's hopes at this position group are contingent on whether they gained more than they lost via the transfer portal. They could use another Mitchell Tinsley or two (or three). Arriving from Western Kentucky, Tinsley turned out to be a big ad- dition in 2022, catching 51 passes for 577 yards and 5 touchdowns and parlaying that ef- fort into a spot on the Washington Commanders' roster. This year's newcomers — Kyron Hudson, Devonte Ross and Trebor Peña — are looking to follow his lead. Penn State will give them every opportunity to do so. Freshman Outlook Aside from the three transfers and redshirt senior Liam Clifford, there's almost no proven productivity in Penn State's wide receiver corps. In fact, of the team's other nine scholarship wideouts, seven will have freshman eligibility this fall, the only exceptions being redshirt ju- niors Anthony Ivey and Kaden Saunders. The composition of the room all but guarantees that one or more freshmen will make an impact. Koby Howard may be the most likely to see action. An early enrollee in Penn State's 2025 class, the 5-foot-11, 202-pound Howard turned heads in spring practice. Quick Facts Position coach: Marques Hagans (fourth season) Returning starter: Liam Clifford (12 career starts) Departing starters: Omari Evans (6), Har- rison Wallace III (21) Projected new starters: Kyron Hudson, Trebor Peña and/or Devonte Ross Top reserves: Tyseer Denmark, Peter Gon- zales, Koby Howard, Kaden Saunders Newcomers: Jeff Exinor Jr., Koby Howard, Kyron Hudson, Trebor Peña, Devonte Ross, Lyrick Samuel Koby Howard is one of seven scholarship receiv- ers who will have freshman eligibility this fall. The Nittany Lions will be looking for their young wideouts to step into key backup roles. PHOTO BY MARK SELDERS/PENN STATE ATHLETICS

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