On Tuesday night, following Penn State's fourth spring practice, Nittany Lions head coach James Franklin met with the media. Two of the subjects brought up were his thoughts on a pair of young wide receivers, true freshmen Matthew Outten and Lyrick Samuel, and the development of redshirt freshman Tyseer Denmark.
"Both of them are big, physical guys," Franklin said of Outten and Howard. "I mean, Outten's like 212 pounds already. When we watched him in high school, he was a wide receiver, he was a wildcat quarterback, he was a running back. He kind of did it all for them—punt return, kick return, powerful guy, fast guy, explosive guy," he explained about Outten, a four-star athlete out of Norcom High School in Portsmouth, Virginia. That being said, since Outten had a variety of roles for Norcom, when it comes to his abilities as a wide receiver, Franklin acknowledged there's still quite a bit of development needed.
"We've seen the same things, but for those very same reasons, he's a little raw as a wide receiver. So it's great that we got him in here early; he's doing really well. We're excited about his future."
When it comes to Kobe Howard, a former four-star prospect who, instead of being a jack of all trades in high school, was solely a wide receiver, he also received praise from Franklin.
"Kobe, another guy, more developed. He's already 190-something pounds, strong in the weight room, explosive," Franklin said. "He's played wideout pretty much his whole life, so he's a little bit more refined in those areas," he added.
"But both have done a really nice job already for guys that should still be in high school."
For Tyseer Denmark, the Philadelphia native is entering his second year with the program after a quiet true freshman campaign. Despite recording just a pair of receptions last season, the Nittany Lions are expecting big things from the former four-star prospect.
"We need him to help us this year. We've got to be more consistent," Franklin said. "Again, I'm proud of him. I think he's got a bright future," he continued.
That being said, Franklin also made it clear that the Nittany Lions are not only hoping he takes the next step but are expecting him to ahead of his redshirt freshman season.
"Nobody cares that he's a redshirt freshman. It's time now," Franklin said. "We need him to take that next step, and he is more than capable of being a big-time player in this league as a redshirt freshman."
Last season, Penn State's wide receivers combined for 102 receptions, just 34.5% of the Nittany Lions' total 292 completed passing attempts. Of those 102 receptions, the trio of Harrison Wallace III, Omari Evans, and Julian Fleming accounted for 81. All three players are no longer with the program; Wallace III and Evans left via the transfer portal, while Fleming's eligibility was exhausted following the College Football Playoff.
The program's returning leading wide receiver from the 2024 season is redshirt senior Liam Clifford, who had 18 receptions for 286 yards and one touchdown last season. Tyseer Denmark and Anthony Ivey were the only other receivers from the 2024 season to record a reception.
The Nittany Lions' 2025 spring game is set for April 26, with kickoff at 2:00 p.m. EST. The game will not be televised.
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