Penn State Looks for Bigger Plays From Receivers in Big Ten Play

The Nittany Lions' wide receivers largely have been limited by Big Ten teams, notably Ohio State.

Penn State Nittany Lions wide receiver Tre Wallace (6) gestures to Tyler Warren after making a catch near the end zone during the second quarter against the Ohio State Buckeyes at Beaver Stadium. / Matthew O'Haren-Imagn Images

Penn State has produced some elite wide receivers over the past decade. Allen Robinson, Chris Godwin and Jahan Dotson each generated 1,000-yard seasons, while KJ Hamler and DaeSean Hamilton consistently excelled within the Big Ten.

But Penn State’s receiver room in recent seasons hasn’t been a powerhouse. Since Dotson departed for the NFL after the 2021 season, Penn State coach James Franklin has struggled to find a dominant No. 1 receiver. In the early part of 2024, it seemed Penn State had addressed the receiver issue with a depth-centered approach. The Nittany Lions still didn’t have a clear standout, instead boasting a new player stepping up each week — until Big Ten play began, and tougher competition revealed a talent gap. 

Penn State's receivers struggle in the Big Ten

The season began with promise for Penn State's receivers. In Week 1 against West Virginia, Tre Wallace emerged as Drew Allar’s top target, exploding for 117 yards and a touchdown on five receptions. Omari Evans produced two catches of 50+ yards in the first three games and led the team with 116 receiving yards against Kent State. Against UCLA, Liam Clifford posted a career-high 107 yards. The balanced production at wide receiver, especially when paired with a strong run game and dominant tight end, made Penn State’s offense look deep and versatile.

But as Penn State got deeper into Big Ten play, and the receivers' production fell. Through five conference games, Penn State’s four primary receivers (Wallace, Clifford, Evans and Julian Fleming) have combined for 38 catches and zero touchdowns. By comparison, tight end Tyler Warren has 35 catches (17 at USC) and two receiving touchdowns by himself in that stretch. Penn State’s passing game has been an issue in recent weeks, bottoming out against Ohio State, which the staff knew would challenge its passing game.

“They play man-to-man really well,” Penn State receivers coach Marques Hagans said of Ohio State before the game. “And when they adjust and go into zone, they have a real good understanding of what the defense is designed to do and they make it tough for receivers.”

The Buckeyes lived up to that reputation. There were multiple plays in which Allar didn’t have a open target at receiver. Wallace and Fleming combined for three receptions against Ohio State and were the only wide receivers to record a catch in the game. Warren and running back Nick Singleton combined for 10 of Penn State’s 13 receptions.

Im still seeing some people trash Allar... Please tell me where you would throw this? And a 275lb man about to hit you full speed pic.twitter.com/LPCCMET70c

— LandonTengwall (@landon_tengwall) November 4, 2024

No Penn State receiver has made a catch of 30+ yards since the UCLA game. Evans has three Big Ten receptions, none in the past two games. The Nittany Lions have the depth to get by at receiver, but if they’re not putting stress on top-tier defenses, their offense could again run into its ceiling. 

“There has been significant strides made [at wide receiver], but there is still more work to do," Franklin said this week. “We have got to be able to threaten people, got to be able to stretch people, got to be able to make plays and create separation and make tough catches. That needs to happen.”

Finding success by ‘playing for each other’

Before the Ohio State game, Hagans said his group has made strides in preparation and in “playing for each other.”

“I think right now, every day, that's the emphasis and that will continue to be so moving forward,” Hagans said. “So just doing whatever the team needs us to help win and just showing up every day ready to work and being prepared and just working at the highest level possible.”

Hagans praised some of his core receivers. He said “the sky’s the limit” for Wallace, called Clifford someone who “loves to be pushed hard,” and noted that Evans’ talent is “starting to come together.” Alongside Fleming, Penn State’s receivers showed that early promise, and offensive coordinator Andy Kotelnicki had the flexibility of multiple players capable of stepping up.

But the limits of relying on depth, rather than having a true No. 1 receiver, became apparent in conference play. Against stronger defenses, and especially against Ohio State on Saturday, Allar has been left without a go-to threat on the perimeter.

Moving forward with a young receivers room

As Penn State enters the home stretch of 2024, it has no simple solution to the wide receiver issue. The team has elite talent at quarterback, tight end and running back. The offensive line has proven itself largely capable of competing with top-tier teams. But receiver remains a massive question mark heading into the final month, which begins Saturday against Washington.

In the offseason, Penn State brought in Fleming as a transfer to shore up the position, but he’s tied for fifth on the team with just 11 catches. Since Week 1, Wallace hasn’t registered more than 70 yards in a game. Evans and Clifford haven’t had more than four receptions in any matchup this season.

No matter how the rest of 2024 goes, Penn State will need to address wide receiver for next season. It does have some young talent. Tyseer Denmark and Peter Gonzalez, who has a long-term injury, represent potential at the position, while Wallace, Evans and Clifford have eligibility remaining for 2025. But until Franklin finds a receiver who can take on the true No. 1 role, Penn State’s offense can only do so much with its creativity and depth. 

“I think that's a fair question,” Franklin said. “I think we have improved. I don't think there is any doubt about it. From last year, we've improved on the field, in practice, in production. … [Being] able to make more plays in the passing game at the wide receiver position is going to be really important not only for this game, but long-term for this season and where we want to go.”

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Daniel Mader, a May 2024 graduate of Penn State, is an Editorial Intern with The Sporting News. As a student journalist with The Daily Collegian, he served as a sports editor and covered Nittany Lions women’s basketball, men’s volleyball and more. He has also covered Penn State football for NBC Sports and the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette, with additional work in the Centre Daily Times, Lancaster Online and more. Follow him on X @DanielMader_    or Instagram @dmadersports.