Blue White Illustrated

August 2025

Penn State Sports Magazine

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A U G U S T 2 0 2 5 4 5 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 / / / / / / / will likely have to be a big part of the of- fensive effort. Indeed, that's why he finds himself in State College in the first place. Penn State has assembled what looks to be, in many respects, a national cham- pionship contender. But the program has struggled in recent years to develop con- sistently productive wide receivers, and questions about the position group linger heading into the 2025 season. That's why Hudson sees himself as such a good fit. He's coming off a ju- nior season with the Trojans in which he ranked third on the team with 38 catches for 462 yards and 3 touchdowns, display- ing sticky hands and a penchant for aerial acrobatics. "I'm going to make the tough catches," he said. "I'm going to make the catches that we need. I think it's important to change the stereotype that we have here about the receivers. Being able to be that person and be a part of a group that helps change that is what I'm looking forward to." Exciting Additions Hudson was one of three transfer wide receivers to join the Nittany Lions as part of a thorough overhaul of the posi- tion group. He was joined over the winter by senior Devonte Ross, an All-Sun Belt Conference performer at Troy last season, and the Lions continued their rebuild fol- lowing spring practice when they landed super senior Trebor Peña, a second-team All-ACC choice in what would turn out to be his final season at Syracuse. Penn State would likely have found it- self scouring the portal for receivers no matter what; that's what happens when you end the season with a loss like the one the team suffered to Notre Dame in the College Football Playoff semifinals, a game in which the wideouts failed to catch a single pass. But the Lions' needs became even more acute when two of the team's top four pass catchers last year — Harrison Wallace III and Omari Evans — entered the portal, eventually ending up at Ole Miss and Washington, respectively. Last year, Wallace and Evans combined to catch 67 passes for 1,035 yards and 9 touchdowns. Meanwhile, this year's three newcomers combined to make 72 catches for 2,446 yards and 23 scores. Hudson was the only member of that trio who faced Big Ten defenses last year, so the numbers alone don't guarantee that Penn State has upgraded. But they do show that the new wideouts have all been highly productive in their respective conferences. There's good reason to think they'll be productive at Penn State, too. One of the main factors working in their favor is the guy who will be targeting them. Se- nior quarterback Drew Allar is one of the top returning quarterbacks in the coun- try, having thrown for 5,958 yards and 49 touchdowns in his two seasons as a starter. Allar's presence was one of the main reasons why Hudson chose the Nittany Lions. With one season of eligibility re- maining, he knew he couldn't afford to take a flier on a program that might not allow him to fulfill his college and pro aspirations. He and his father, Chance Hudson, put together a checklist of must- have items. They wanted his new school to boast a stable coaching situation and an offense in which he could display the full range of his skills. Playing into the latter prerequisite, they also wanted Hudson's next team to have an NFL-level player slinging passes. Penn State checked all those boxes. And when offensive coordinator Andy Kotel- nicki began laying out PSU's vision during a campus visit last winter, father and son both liked what they heard. "Coach Kotelnicki said they'd like to use him as an X, Y, Z or an H," Chance Hudson told BWI. "There's no one spot where they can't use him. We then had "Just being able to play in a college town where everybody bleeds Penn State football, it's something that I can't wait to experience. It's something that's always on my mind." H U D S O N Scholarship Players (13) No. Player Yr. Ht. Wt. 19 Josiah Brown R-Fr. 5-11 180 2 Liam Clifford R.-Sr. 6-1 206 4 Tyseer Denmark R-Fr. 5-10 187 80 Jeff Exinor Jr. Fr. 6-1 221 84 Peter Gonzalez R-Fr. 6-2 205 3 Koby Howard Fr. 5-11 202 11 Kyron Hudson R-Sr. 6-1 215 12 Anthony Ivey R.-Jr. 5-11 194 6 Matt Outten Fr. 6-1 212 8 Trebor Peña R-Sr.+ 5-10 186 5 Devonte Ross Sr. 5-10 170 81 Lyrick Samuel Fr. 6-4 181 7 Kaden Saunders R.-Jr. 5-10 180 Hudson was the third-leading receiver at USC last year, totaling 38 catches for 462 yards and 3 touchdowns. PHOTO BY MARK SELDERS/PENN STATE ATHLETICS

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