Penn State Sports Magazine
Issue link: https://comanpub.uberflip.com/i/1541276
D E C E M B E R 2 0 2 5 13 W W W . B L U E W H I T E O N L I N E . C O M P enn State dropped to 3-6 and re- mains winless in the Big Ten fol- lowing a 27-24 loss to second- ranked Indiana on Nov. 8. With their Big Ten and national title hopes long gone, the Nittany Lions have an opportunity to get some younger players more reps in the coming weeks. One major decision was made dur- ing the game against the Hoosiers: freshman wide receiver Koby Howard saw action that afternoon, playing 22 snaps and finishing with 2 catches for 28 yards. It was Howard's fifth game appearance of the year, meaning that the 5-foot-11, 196-pound wideout from Pensacola, Fla., will not redshirt. Interim head coach Terry Smith had said prior to the Indiana game that Howard was "going to be on the field on Saturday." After playing 23 snaps against Nevada in the season opener, Howard totaled just 16 in his next three game appearances (Villanova, Iowa, Ohio State). "The challenge with any young player, especially freshmen, is learning the system completely," Smith said. "We have tons of plays with a ton of different options off each particular play. A lot of times with young receivers, they may run routes short or they're not quite where they're supposed to be when the quarterback wants them." Howard joins three classmates who have also exceeded the NCAA's four- game threshold for preserving a year of eligibility. Heading into PSU's trip to Michigan State on Nov. 15, cornerback Daryus Dixson (nine games) and de- fensive ends Chaz Coleman (eight) and Yvan Kemajou (seven) had all passed up the opportunity to redshirt. Heading into the Indiana game, cor- nerback Jahmir Joseph was also on the verge of forgoing a redshirt year. Joseph had seen action on kick coverage against Nevada, Villanova, Northwestern and Ohio State. However, he didn't play against Indiana, leaving open the pos- sibility that he will redshirt this fall. Two other players who could be on the verge of forgoing a redshirt year are linebackers Alex Tatsch and LaVar Arrington II. Penn State went into the season with little depth at that posi- tion group, and the loss of junior Tony Rojas to a season-ending injury in late September has only heightened that concern. The Lions have used Tatsch and Arrington in three games apiece. Ar- rington has played in all three games since Smith took over as interim coach, seeing action on kick coverage, while Tatsch has played against Villanova, Ohio State and Indiana. Smith has said the staff wants to get Tatsch more involved in future defen- sive game plans. Against the Buckeyes, he played 14 snaps on defense and an- other 4 on special teams. Versus Indiana a week later, he was on the field for 22 snaps on defense and was credited with 2 tackles and a pass breakup. "We just didn't have enough depth, so we put in a couple of personnel pack- ages for him to get on the field more," Smith said. ■ CLASS OF 2025 TRACKER Nine Games Played CB Daryus Dixson Eight Games DE Chaz Coleman Seven Games DE Yvan Kemajou Five Games WR Koby Howard Four Games CB Jahmir Joseph Three Games LB LaVar Arrington II LB Alex Tatsch Two Games DT Randy Adirika One Game OL Owen Aliciene WR Jeff Exinor Jr. DE Cortez Harris TE Matt Henderson K Matthew Parker LB Cam Smith No Games DE Dayshaun Burnett RB Jabree Coleman OL Malachi Goodman RB Tikey Hayes DE Daniel Jennings CB Josh Johnson TE Brian Kortovich QB Bekkem Kritza OL Brady O'Hara TE Andrew Olesh WR Matthew Outten WR Lyrick Samuel S Braz Thomas CB Xxavier Thomas OL Michael Troutman III * Through nine games Freshman Redshirt Status Update G R E G P I C K E L | G R E G . P I C K E L @ O N 3 . C O M Freshman wideout Koby Howard had 4 catches for 68 yards in his first five games with the Nittany Lions. PHOTO BY STEVE MANUEL