For Penn State's Receivers, Expectation and Uncertainty

'Like kids on a bike, you never know what you've got until you take the training wheels off,' receivers coach Marques Hagans said.

STATE COLLEGE | As with most of Penn State's training camp position battles, James Franklin left Wednesday night’s practice without knowing exactly which wide receivers would start against West Virginia on Sept. 2 — or at least without stating it publicly. Franklin reiterated that four or five player are competing for the No. 3 spot alongside KeAndre Lambert-Smith and Trey Wallace.

Lambert-Smith and Wallace have the top two spots locked down as the most experienced returners, even if Franklin hasn’t made a formal announcement. But the third spot is difficult to read. Of course, receiver is a position that sees plenty of rotation and very well could have a completely different snap distribution by the end of the season. But gone are the days of having Jahan Dotson and Parker Washington picking up slack from the rest of the depth chart.

"I wouldn't say comfortable," receivers coach Marques Hagans said Wednesday when asked if he’d be comfortable throwing three guys out to win against West Virginia. "I think we're in a good spot. I think we have a good group of guys. But there's not anything that's set in stone. We have a group of guys competing to be those guys, and it's just going to play out throughout the whole season. And the best guys that give us the best chance to win, those will be the guys that will be in the rotation week in and week out."

In 2022, Penn State got a productive one-year rental out of Western Kentucky transfer Mitchell Tinsley, who caught a team-leading five touchdown passes among the receivers. Penn State is attempted to follow that blueprint this year, adding highly touted Kent State transfer Dante Cephas. The Pittsburgh native, took home first-team All-MAC honors each of the last two seasons and totaled 1,984 yards with 16 touchdowns. It’s a big-time Nittany Lion addition on paper, but the adjustment hasn’t been seamless.

Cephas enrolled in May, after graduating from Kent State, and his talent hasn’t shielded him from some practice hiccups. Franklin and Hagans both mentioned the adjustment period for Cephas, who is solidly in the wide receiver rotation but might not start initially.

"I think he realizes that this has been different. The adjustment, especially with the defensive backs and the man-to-man coverage that we play, it’s just different," Franklin said. "Not saying that he’s not a big-time, big-time player, but there’s a difference between getting up one or two days a week, one or two times a year in a season and coming out here every single day with that type of competitiveness."

Alongside Cephas, Penn State added 6-4 Malik McClain from Florida State over the offseason. McClain appeared in 15 games with 12 starts in two years as a Seminole, but his playing time decreased significantly in Year 2. His frame and athleticism are eye-popping at times, and he averaged 12 yards per catch and scored five touchdowns. But like much of the group, consistency is a sticking point.

"It's easy to be good. It's hard to be consistent," Hagans said. "It's hard to be consistent and consistently run the right route, get open and make the tough, contested catches and do it again and again and again."

Penn State offensive coordinator talks with receiver KeAndre Lambert-Smith during the Blue-White Game at Beaver Stadium :: Matthew O'Haren/USA Today Sports

With playing time up for grabs, Liam Clifford, Omari Evans and Kaden Saunders have chances to distinguish themselves. Evans has the most experience after playing every game in 2022 as a freshman. He was a consistent contributor on special teams and made a few plays on offense, racking up 55 yards and a touchdown on just five receptions. Evans generated significant buzz this spring, too, scoring in the Blue-White Game and having teammates and coaches praise his development. The buzz has trailed some at this point, but having burned his redshirt a season ago and possessing blazing speed, Evans initially could be the third starter. 

Clifford saw the field much more in his second season in Happy Valley but didn’t make much of an impact. He has had a strong offseason, so it’s not crazy to expect a big bump in snaps. Saunders is perhaps the most intriguing player in the trio. A linchpin of the already-prolific 2022 recruiting class, Saunders redshirted last season but has the physical tools to contribute.

With the departure of former receivers coach Taylor Stubblefield and subsequent addition of Hagans, a pair of incoming transfers and the losses Tinsley and Washington to the NFL, wide receiver has been a hot-button issue at Penn State for some time. And it might take a few games for fans to get legitimate answers on the 2023 group. And even then, it will probably be a fluid situation throughout the year.

"Like kids on a bike, you never know what you've got until you take the training wheels off," Hagans said. "I think we have a good baseline of the guys that we have. Now we gotta find out if they can do it in the game."

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Max Ralph is a Penn State senior studying Broadcast Journalism with minors in sports studies and Japanese. He previously covered Penn State football for two years with The Daily Collegian and has reported with the Associated Press and Pittsburgh Post-Gazette. Follow him on Twitter (X) @maxralph_ and Instagram @mralph_59.