BWI Roundtable: Picking a Nittany Lion offensive breakout candidate
Some of the key players are already well known to Penn State fans on either side of the ball.
Sean Clifford, Noah Cain, Jahan Dotson, Rasheed Walker, Jaquan Brisker, Brandon Smith, Tariq Castro-Fields... they're all among the names that are likely to dominate the Nittany Lions' 2021 season.
But which players not listed on the marquee will have an opportunity to firmly entrench themselves among Penn State's most impactful this year?
With the start of Penn State football's preseason practices already under way and the Nittany Lions' first game of the year on Sept. 4 at Wisconsin just a few weeks out, Blue White Illustrated's staff makes its picks for the top breakout candidates in the program, beginning today on the offensive side of the ball:
Nate Bauer
Can a fifth-year senior be a breakout?
In the case of Cam Sullivan-Brown, the answer is almost undoubtedly yes. Set to embark on what will likely be his final season of football at Penn State, the potential that accompanied prior preseasons is not only essential for Sullivan-Brown himself, but rather carries weight for the success of the program as a whole.
Bottom line, the Nittany Lions are going to have to see more than just Jahan Dotson and Parker Washington emerge at the receiver position this season. Certainly, iterations of Penn State offenses have sometimes had two receivers, a running back, and a tight end finish among the top four pass-catchers, but the best-producing units really need a third to step up.
Going into the 2020 campaign, Sullivan-Brown's name was attached to plenty of preseason buzz that, as a redshirt junior, he would finally take the next steps in his career. Derailed by health issues at the start of the season, though, Sullivan-Brown never found his footing with the Nittany Lions, ultimately sharing in the program's disappointment with just one catch for 14 yards by the year's end.
This, of course, after missing two-thirds of the 2019 season with an injury sustained at the start of the Big Ten schedule.
Finally healthy, this is the year for Sullivan-Brown to emerge from the pack of receivers vying for reps and opportunities. Already having demonstrated his potential previously, the senior-season factor will be enough to put him over the top.
Greg Pickel
It almost feels like a receiver has to be the pick here, because after Jahan Dotson and Parker Washington, both the past production and game experience are extremely limited with the rest Taylor Stubblefield’s group.
Nate went with one logical veteran who could finally put it all together, and I’m going with another: Daniel George.
The former four-star recruit had just seven catches for 73 yards last year. He has yet to break 10 catches in a season and has just one touchdown to his name over three years.
That’s why making George the pick here is risky, because the high school evaluation just hasn’t matched the college level development to date. But, who’s to say another year with Stubblefield won’t be just what is needed to put it all together?
Is it a long shot? Maybe, but we’ve seen veterans put it all together in their final season before, and a former four-star recruit is as good a bet as any to be the latest one to do so.
Dave Eckert
Forgive me, but I'm going to cheat here just a little bit.
For me, the breakout player of the season for Penn State on the offensive side of the ball is going to be whoever earns the right to take the majority of the snaps at the tight end position between Brenton Strange and Theo Johnson.
Both of these guys are great athletes who each got some serious run down the stretch last season after Pat Freiermuth's season ended prematurely due to an injury.
Neither posted particualrly spectacular numbers, but we also know that Penn State didn't really have a fully functioning offense at that point in time, either.
Given the tools and size both of these guys can put on display, I think there's potential for some seriously impressive numbers to come out of this position group under new offensive coordinator Mike Yurcich.
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