2020 Vision: Breaking down next year's WRs & TEs

The Penn State football program was only about an hour into its 2020 off-season, but already, James Franklin was looking ahead. Penn State had just beaten Memphis in the Cotton Bowl to cap an 11-2 campaign that few had seen coming, and before his postgame presser was over, he was already thinking about next year. Being James Franklin, he was thinking big-picture.

“We’ve got a lot of work to do in a lot of different areas, but I think most people would agree that the program is headed in the right direction. We’re developing well. We’re game-planning well. We’re recruiting well,” he said. “And really, at this point, where we are as a program, you’ve got to do it all at a very, very high level. We’ve got great support from President [Eric] Barron and [athletic director] Sandy Barbour and the administration and the board. I think it’s really important for us to continue doing that and be in alignment, all of us, always putting Penn State first. It’s always about the university first and what’s in the university’s best interest and also the athletic department. But we think we can have a big impact in that.

“So I’m going to enjoy this win, but I do think this game and this win and these 11 wins and these young players who are going to be returning are going to give us a lot of momentum going into next season, which we’re going to need.”

The Nittany Lions gave themselves a tough act to follow, having put together their third 11-win season in the past four years. But many of the players who were responsible for those 11 wins in 2019 will be returning in 2020. The program bid farewell to only 16 players on senior day in November, and 13 of the starters listed on the Cotton Bowl depth chart are expected to be back next fall. That list includes the bowl’s offensive and defensive MVPs: running back Journey Brown and outside linebacker Micah Parsons. It also includes starting quarterback Sean Clifford, four starting offensive linemen and All-Big Ten tight end Pat Freiermuth.

Franklin said after the Cotton Bowl that the 2019 team “lays the foundation for the future.” The team will be working toward that future in the months ahead.

Throughout the week, Blue White Illustrated editor Matt Herb will take a closer look at next year’s squad. Today, he focuses on wide receivers and tight ends.

KEY RETURNEES Jahan Dotson, John Dunmore, Daniel George, Mac Hippenhammer, T.J. Jones, Isaac Lutz, Cam Sullivan-Brown

KEY LOSSES Weston Carr, Dan Chisena, K.J. Hamler, Justin Shorter

NEWCOMERS Norval Black, Jaden Dottin, KeAndre Lambert, Malick Meiga, Parker Washington

OUTLOOK There’s no getting around it: The Nittany Lions need some people to step forward here. They’ve been able to get by the past two seasons by leaning heavily on Hamler, but with his announcement in late December that he’s entering the NFL Draft, they don’t have any choice but to look to some of their up-and-comers.

Dotson has been a sure-handed complementary wideout, but he’s never been the focus of the passing game. He will enter his junior season with 40 career catches for 691 yards and five touchdowns. After Dotson, there’s not much proven productivity returning. George, Hippenhammer and Sullivan-Brown have combined to make 30 catches for 435 yards and two TDs in their Penn State careers. If one or more of them are going to take the next step in their development, the time to do so is now. With Hamler leaving early and Shorter transferring, there are two starting positions open. And really, except for Dotson’s spot, the entire depth chart is in flux at this position group.

The shortage of proven wideouts might seem like a worrisome caveat to an otherwise exciting outlook on offense, and… well… it is. We’re not going to tell anyone not to be concerned, especially with the staff having to break in its fourth position coach in as many years following Gerad Parker’s departure for West Virginia. While Hamler and Dotson shined the past two seasons, the Lions haven’t been able to recreate the kind of chemistry they had as recently as the 2017 season, when DaeSean Hamilton, Juwan Johnson and DeAndre Thompkins combined for 135 catches. This past season, Hamler and Dotson combined to make 83 of the 121 receptions that Penn State’s wideouts totaled. After those two, the next-most-productive wide receiver was Shorter with 12 catches for 137 yards. The next-most-productive returning wide receiver was George with nine for 100.

And yet, there are reasons to feel optimistic about the Nittany Lions’ wideout corps. Dunmore and Jones have both shown signs that they can play during their redshirt seasons. Once they become more consistent, especially Dunmore, they could challenge for substantial playing time. The staff also focused heavily on receivers in its most recent recruiting class, landing five during the December signing period. Of the seven wideouts who will have freshman eligibility in 2019, three received four-star ratings from Rivals. Texas native Parker Washington and Virginia native KeAndre Lambert both have fans excited about their futures. The talent pool appears to be fairly deep, even with Shorter, a former five-star prospect, opting to leave for Florida, and five-star Pennsylvania wideout Julian Fleming choosing Ohio State over the Lions.

But Penn State will absolutely need last season’s supporting cast to be ready for much bigger roles in 2020.

QUOTABLE Clifford on Penn State’s young receivers: “We have developmental scrimmages after the games to kind of give those guys reps, and you see the flashes that they can bring. Obviously it’s tough when you just come in and you have to jump into the playbook right away. But at the same time, you know, they’ve done a helluva job over the course of the season kind of catching up and at the same time showing me and coaches what they can do so that eventually we can build a lot of confidence. I’m sure they’re going to be prepared to contribute next year.”

KEY RETURNEES Pat Freiermuth, Zack Kuntz, Brenton Strange

KEY LOSS Nick Bowers

NEWCOMERS Theo Johnson, Tyler Warren

OUTLOOK A lot of Penn State fans no doubt breathed a sigh of relief when Freiermuth announced shortly after the regular-season finale against Rutgers that he was planning to come back for his junior season. Because he spent a postgraduate year at Brooks School, the 6-5, 256-pound tight end could have left college after his true sophomore season. But he opted instead to return, announcing that “the brotherhood and family atmosphere in this program is something that I am not ready to leave.”

Freiermuth finished with only two catches for 39 yards in the Cotton Bowl, but he still managed to showcase what makes him such an effective player for the Lions. On the first of those receptions, he lowered his shoulder and sent a would-be tackler sprawling backward, setting up a touchdown in the process. His second catch converted a key third down in the second half. For the season, Freiermuth finished as Penn State’s second-leading receiver with 43 catches for 507 yards and seven touchdowns. He’s caught at least one pass in 25 consecutive games, a streak dating to the second game of his true freshman season.

But while the top of their depth chart looks strong, the Lions will need to build some depth following Bowers’ graduation. After a couple of injury-plagued years at the start of his career, Bowers ended with a solid senior season, ranking fourth on the team with 214 receiving yards on 10 catches. His graduation makes Kuntz the team’s most experienced backup. Kuntz saw action in three games as a redshirt freshman, catching two passes for 18 yards. While not a prototypical tight end at 6-7, 243 pounds, he’s a big target and he’ll be looking to step into a larger role next fall. Strange played in Penn State’s opener against Idaho this past season but sat out the rest of the year and retained his freshman eligibility. He’ll be expected to compete with Kuntz for the second-team spot, and it wouldn't be a surprise if Strange ultimately emerges as the team's backup in 2020. That could prove to be one of the team's key position battles this spring.

Johnson was a late addition to Penn State’s 2020 recruiting class and could turn out to be a very impactful signing. He’s listed at 6-6, 245 pounds, and he’s already on campus, one of 11 players in the team’s most recent class to enroll early. Like Kuntz and Strange, Johnson received a four-star rating from Rivals. Given that he will be going through winter workouts and spring practice with his new team, it wouldn’t be surprising to see him challenge for significant playing time as a true freshman.

QUOTABLE Freiermuth on his decision to return for his junior season: “I talked to my parents and I felt like I just wasn’t ready to live by myself and handle the responsibilities as a young adult that I would have to do in the world living by myself. And just the physical stuff, I think I have more to develop in my body in college. I feel like I have more time that I need here in college to make the most of my college experience. There are football aspects of it and school, too. I’m not nearly as close in my grades. I need to be staying here. An extra year would help me get a lot of credits done.”

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