Penn State Sports Magazine
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S E P T E M B E R 2 0 2 5 31 W W W . B L U E W H I T E O N L I N E . C O M "It's hard to settle in," Ross said. "I think all of us are really competitive. We get to practice, and everybody wants to compete. Everybody wants to win. I think that's great to have on a team. Every single day, we work hard, and we push ourselves as hard as we can." Peña, too, had a big 2024 season, catch- ing an ACC-best 84 passes for 941 yards and 9 touchdowns in his final campaign with the Orange. Hudson didn't amass those kinds of numbers, totaling 38 catches for 462 yards and 3 touchdowns, but he gained a year of Big Ten experience, and he's made a strong impression within Penn State's program, impressing the staff with both his penchant for coming down with tough catches and his leadership. Those three players have only been working together for a short time, but Ross has liked what he's seen of the po- sition group that the coaches have as- sembled. "I think we have a lot of great talent in our room," he said. "Every day, we're try- ing to be our best self. We're trying to get 1 percent better every day, trying to stay in tune with each other. We've got great relationships in that room. I think there's a lot of talent, for sure." Penn State will be leaning on its vet- eran transfers this fall, along with red- shirt senior Liam Clifford. In addition, the team will also probably turn to some of its less-well-known receivers for significant contributions. Asked after practice on Aug. 7 which wideouts had emerged in the first week of camp, Franklin spread his praise widely. He cited returnees like Clifford, redshirt junior Anthony Ivey and redshirt fresh- man Josiah Brown, and he also mentioned the team's true freshmen — Lyrick Sam- uel, Koby Howard, Jeff Exinor Jr. and Matt Outten. "There are a ton of guys. There are the second-year guys who have really made moves for us that we're excited about, and there are some guys who have been around for a while, like an Ivey," Frank- lin said. "Brown is a guy who is playing lightning fast right now. There are older guys who are stepping up and are ready to make a move. Liam is a guy that not a lot of people are talking about, but we've got a lot of confidence in him, and he's a veteran guy for us. "And then when you look at that young class, there's Lyrick and Koby. Jeff Exinor is a big, physical guy who ran extremely well when he showed up, and there's Matt Outten. It's a good group of young guys who we're excited about, and I think a couple of them will end up playing this year. We'll see." A Chip On Their Shoulders Among the receivers on this year's ros- ter, only Clifford, Ivey, and redshirt fresh- man Tyseer Denmark caught passes in 2024. They combined to make 21 recep- tions for 329 yards and 2 touchdowns. Clifford accounted for nearly all of that statistical productivity. He started 11 games during his redshirt junior season and finished with 18 catches for 286 yards and a 14-yard score against Kent State. Clifford arrived at Penn State as part of the team's 2021 recruiting class, fol- lowing older brother Sean Clifford to State College after setting school records for most career catches (166), receiving yards (2,538) and receiving touchdowns (30) at St. Xavier High in Ohio. The for- mer three-star recruit has not gotten as much attention as the newcomers this offseason, but he appears ticketed for an expanded role in the fall. "He's been consistent since I've been here," third-year wide receivers coach Marques Hagans said. "The person Liam is today is the same person he was when I first got here. All he does is show up, work hard, put the team first, and do whatever is asked of him. You can't put a price tag on that. And the guys in the room, they know it. The guys on the team know it. He's the heart and soul of what Penn State football is. "Whatever the perception outside of these walls is, that's whatever it's going to be. But within these walls, he's one of the most well-respected guys on the team. Day in and day out, he bleeds for the program. As his coach, you couldn't ask for more. He's a big part of what we do. He may be overlooked by some people, but not the people that walk though this building every day." The combination of returning talent and new acquisitions has given rise to a feeling of optimism. Throughout pre- season practice, the receiver corps has drawn praise from players and coaches alike. "I think they're very talented. They love football. They've been great addi- tions, the new guys," quarterbacks coach Danny O'Brien said. "And then the guys who have been here are a year older in the program, and they know what it takes. They've all taken strides. It's been very competitive, which I think helps. "There's no doubt in my mind that we're going to be good enough to get what we want done this year. That's a testa- ment to that room and how we built it each year, and what Marques has done, and the leaders in that room. That's both the transfers and the returning guys. They hear the same stuff, too, and they have a chip on their shoulder to go prove they can get it done." ■ Devonte Ross made his Penn State debut in the Blue- White Game in April. He caught 76 passes for 1,043 yards and 11 touchdowns for Troy last season. PHOTO BY RYAN SNYDER