Penn State Sports Magazine
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run, jump, they have great hands. They're good competitors and they're tough," he said. "We've got slot receivers – Alex Kenney, Evan Lewis – who have had a good camp so far. So we feel good. Matt Zanellato yesterday had a decent practice, one of his better prac- tices, and Christian Kuntz has done some good things early on in training camp. These guys are going to go out and battle and show up. I've got a pretty good idea they'll make some plays." With Brown gone, those guys don't have much choice. Robinson said it was "a little bit of a surprise" when his teammate opted to join the Sooners. "But at the end of the day," Robinson said, "he made the decision that was best for him." So, too, did quarterback Rob Bolden, who last month left Penn State for LSU. Growing up in Michigan, Robinson and Bolden were friends and high school teammates at St. Mary's Prep, and there were no hard feelings when Bolden decided to seek a fresh start with the Tigers. "I just told him good luck. I hope he does well," Robinson said. "Rob is like a brother to me. He played a little bit for us last year, but as a unit we've got to move on with the people we have left and get ready for the next chapter in our book." Robinson had a decision of his own to make after the NCAA decreed that anyone who wanted to leave Penn State could go elsewhere without having to sit out a year. He said he was contacted by a number of schools, but he didn't seriously consider following in his team- mates' footsteps. "It wasn't really a tough decision," Robinson said. "Look at the staff that we have – Coach O'Brien, Coach [Stan] Hixon, the strength staff. There aren't too many staffs like that. Coach Hixon is coming from the NFL, same with Coach O'Brien. You don't have too many coaching staffs with that kind of experience, especially that kind of ex- perience at the next level. We have other coaches from other great uni- versities, and they can teach us a lot as a unit. So it wasn't a hard decision. I knew this is where I wanted to be." LETTERMEN RETURNING WRs: Shawney Kersey, Evan Lewis, Brandon Mose- by-Felder, Allen Robinson; TEs: Bri- an Irvin, Garry Gilliam (2010) LETTERMEN LOST WRs: Justin Brown*, Andrew Goodman, Derek Moye*, Ryan Scherer, Devon Smith*; TEs: J.D. Mason, Kevin Haplea, Andrew Szczerba* RISING STAR At 6-foot-3, 201 pounds, Robinson has big-play potential as a sophomore. He caught three pass- es for a game-high 87 yards during the Blue-White Game and garnered rousing reviews following summer workouts. With Brown now out of the picture, Robinson might be Penn State's best option for a No. 1 receiver. BIGGEST LOSS Last season, Moye solid- ified his spot among the top five Penn State receivers of all-time, fin- ishing with 18 career touchdowns. He also became only the sixth Nit- tany Lion to tally 2,000 career re- ceiving yards. Replacing that type of production won't be easy. NUMBERS GAME Six players combined to make 10 touchdown catches in 2011. This season, Penn State will start with a clean slate, as none of those players are still with the team. OUTLOOK Matt McGloin has lost all of his top targets from last season, with Moye and Szczerba graduating and Smith, Brown and Haplea hav- ing left the program. But there is plenty of new talent on hand. Robinson, Kersey, Moseby-Felder, Christian Kuntz and Matt Zanellato can all stretch the field. Alex Ken- ney can mix things up in the slot, as he takes over for Smith. Plus, the new playbook is creating a buzz among the tight ends. Look for for- mations to contain two or even three tight ends, giving Gilliam, Kyle Carter and true freshman Jesse James an opportunity for a breakout season. Incoming fresh- men Brent Wilkerson, Eugene Lewis, Jonathan Warner and Trevor Williams may also be part of the passing attack this fall. WIDE RECEIVER NO NAME 81 Shawney Kersey 17 Christian Kuntz YR HT WT Jr. 6-1 197 Jr. 6-4 218 85 B. Moseby-Felder Jr. 6-2 195 WIDE RECEIVER 8Allen Robinson So. 80 Matt Zanellato 16 Eugene Lewis SLOT RECEIVER 15 Alex Kenney 4Evan Lewis TIGHT END-Y 89 Garry Gilliam 18 Jesse James 82 Matt Lehman TIGHT END-F 87 Kyle Carter 6-3 201 Fr. 6-3 198 Fr. 6-1 199 So. 6-0 192 Sr. 5-10 174 Jr. 6-6 262 Fr. 6-7 264 Jr. 6-6 258 83 Brent Wilkerson Fr. 6-3 239 82 Brian Irvin Fr. 6-3 247 Sr. 6-3 242 PHIL SAYS With Kersey and Robinson out wide and Kenney in the slot, Penn State opens the season with formidable starters at all three wide receiver positions. The Lions also appear to have solid backups in Kuntz, Moseby-Felder, Zanellato, Lewis, Warner and possibly Williams. With tight ends Gilliam, Carter, James and Wilkerson all staying at Penn State, this position group could be the deepest and most talented spot on Penn State's offense. James looked exceptional in spring practice, measuring in at 6- foot-7, 276 pounds. The main loss here is Haplea, who transferred to Florida State. Haplea came out of spring practice as the backup at the "F" tight end position, behind Carter. * Starting experience in 2011