Penn State Sports Magazine
Issue link: https://comanpub.uberflip.com/i/541265
to be the best player that I can be." Godwin and the rest of the wideouts have worked extensively with Hackenberg throughout the off-season. A notorious film junkie, the junior quarterback figures the defensive mind games that once con- fused Penn State's still-raw wideouts won't work quite so well this season. "The [receivers] are understanding it now. Once you start seeing that click as a player, you get more and more excited about what could be," Hackenberg said. "You see the potential within the unit, and I'm starting to see that now. I think our coaching staff is starting to see that now. I think our whole unit is starting to see that, and it's good for the team." Godwin concedes that there's still plenty of work to be done but says he's "light years ahead of where I was" last year. He now has an opportunity to continue his upward trajectory, and he doesn't intend to waste it. "It's honestly a pleasure and an honor to be playing at a place like Penn State," he said. "I definitely feel like I'm growing each and every day, and I love that." ■ P R E V I E W KEY PERSONNEL Saeed Blacknall*, Irvin Charles, Gregg Garrity*, Chris Godwin*, DaeSean Hamilton*, Juwan Johnson, Jake Kiley, Geno Lewis*, Brandon Polk, DeAndre Thompkins, Matt Zanelatto LOSSES None RISING STAR It wouldn't be the least bit surprising to see Johnson or Charles make a significant impact in their first year on campus. But going into the season, the Nittany Lions' as- cendant star is Godwin. He is coming off a tremendous performance in the Pinstripe Bowl, a game in which he caught seven passes for 140 yards. And by all accounts, he followed up his star-making turn in the bowl game with an equally impressive showing in spring practice. While fans didn't get to see the evidence of his maturation in the Blue-White Game – he missed it with an unspecified minor injury – the 6-foot-2, 206-pound sophomore will have plenty of opportunities this fall to show what he can do. BIGGEST LOSS None. The Nittany Lions' receiver corps returns intact from last year. And we don't mean virtually intact; we mean entirely in- tact. Of the six wideouts who were listed on the team's Pinstripe Bowl depth chart, all are back in 2015. Penn State also welcomes back three wide- outs who didn't appear on the depth chart: Zanelatto, Kiley and Thomp- kins (who redshirted as a true fresh- man). NUMBERS GAME Hamilton aver- aged 11.0 yards per catch last season, the lowest per-catch average among the Big Ten's top 10 wideouts and the lowest by Penn State's leading receiv- er since Derrick Williams averaged only 9.6 yards in 2007. Clearly, the vertical passing game will need to im- prove this fall. OUTLOOK This really is an impres- sive group. Hamilton may be the headliner after leading the Big Ten in catches per game last season (6.3) while finishing fifth in per-game yardage (69.2). But in truth, all of the Nittany Lions' top receivers appear to have playmaking potential, and as Godwin showed in the Pinstripe Bowl, any one of them could turn out to be the star on any given day. That in- cludes the incoming freshmen, as both the 6-4, 215-pound Charles and 6-4, 212-pound Johnson have the size and length that James Franklin is looking for at these positions. The only thing missing is experience. Penn State has signed some terrific wideouts in its past three recruiting classes as it's looked to provide five- star quarterback Christian Hackenberg with an array of targets. But with a handful of exceptions, those players are still in the early stages of their col- lege careers. Their inexperience showed at times last year. As a group, the wideouts struggled to get separa- tion, and after a blazing start against UCF, in which Hamilton and Lewis combined to make 19 catches for 338 yards, the passing game bogged down in Big Ten play. But time is on the Li- ons' side here. Consider the following: With the exception of Zanelatto, all of the players listed above will be back next year, too. – M.H. >> PHIL'S TAKE In returnees Hamilton, Blacknall, Godwin and Thompkins, and incoming freshmen Charles, Johnson and Polk, Penn State may have the best group of underclassman wide receivers in the Big Ten this fall. Add Lewis to the mix, and PSU will enter the 2015 season with quite possibly the best overall group of wideouts in the conference. WIDE RECEIVER - X NO NAME YR HT WT 12 Chris Godwin So. 6-2 206 7 Geno Lewis R-Jr. 6-1 206 WIDE RECEIVER - Z 5 D. Hamilton R-So. 6-1 211 13 Saeed Blacknall So. 6-3 215 * Starting experience in 2014