There has been a lot said about Penn State's wide receiver corps. In a close playoff loss to Notre Dame, there was not a single catch from a wide receiver. Not surprisingly, Penn State will have a brand new set of pass catchers in 2025.
Harrison Wallace III and Omari Evans transferred to Ole Miss and Washington, respectively, and Julian Fleming graduated after the season.
The Nittany Lions have secured transfer receivers in Kyron Hudson (USC), Devonte Ross (Troy), and Trebor Pẽna (Syracuse). The only significant returning contributor in the room is Liam Clifford.
Based on precedent, you can expect Penn State to turn wide receiver from a weakness into a strength in the next few seasons.
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WHAT TO EXPECT FOR 2025?
There is pretty much no way that the wide receiver room will be worse in the 2025-2026 season. While Wallace was a consistent target for Drew Allar, and Omari Evans was a solid deep threat, the receiver room will have a new and improved set of veterans.
Hudson comes in with 40 games played under his belt at USC. This includes games against opponents last season, such as Penn State, Notre Dame, LSU, Michigan, and Texas A&M. While the 6'1" receiver might not create the most separation, he has shown the ability to win jump balls against some elite opponents.
In addition, Penn State added Troy transfer Devonte Ross, who put up a stat line of 76 receptions for 1043 yards and a Sun Belt leading 11 receiving TDs. Ross is a burner who wants to beat you downfield. The 5'10" senior looks to fulfill the Omari Evans role while hopefully winning more consistently down the field than his counterpart. Ross was also a great punt and kickoff returner last season. Against Iowa, Ross had a 63 yard receiving TD and a punt return TD. It was enough for James Franklin and company to target Ross in the portal.
Finally, there is Trebor Pẽna who just got to campus. Pẽna was part of a dynamic Syracuse passing attack season with Kyle McCord at the helm. The Orange used Pẽna primarily as a short and intermediate threat. Despite only being 6 foot, Pẽna is great at breaking tackles and catching the ball in traffic. The New Jersey native caught 84 passes for 941 yards and 9 touchdowns in 2024. The newest Nittany Lion provides a short passing threat for Drew Allar that he did not have at wideout last season. Since, Tyler Warren graduated, there will be plenty of targets to spread around. Expect Pẽna to be a big contributor in Andy Kotelnicki's offense.
WHY WILL WIDE RECEIVER BECOME A STRENGTH?
In James Franklin's tenure at Penn State, he has taken position groups who have performed poorly, and transformed them into some of the nation's best within a matter of a few seasons. There are plenty of examples of this.
Firstly, when Franklin got to Penn State, offensive line was a major weakness. The tail-end of Hackenerg's career and the beginning of McSorley's featured a subpar offensive line that struggled to pass block, especially against better opponents. The hiring of Phil Trautwein and the development of guys like Juice Scruggs, Olu Fashanu, Vega Ioane, etc. has shown the growth within the room. Now, Penn State has one of the nation's best offensive lines that has been able to run block for the nation's best rushing duo and pass block for a projected first round pick.
Then there was the secondary. Like it or not, Penn State's secondary struggled in big games against the Buckeyes and Wolverines. The combination of Terry Smith and Anthony Poindexter has created an elite secondary. Guys like Jaquan Brisker, Ji'Ayir Brown, Joey Porter Jr., Kalen King, Kevin Winston Jr., Jaylen Reed, AJ Harris, and more have been under the pair's tutelage. Penn State's secondary has kept the Nittany Lions in low scoring affairs against the nation's best.
Next was running back. Penn State fans have likely buried the memories of the 2020 and 2021 seasons. The Caziah Holmes, Keyvone Lee, Devyn Ford, and Noah Cain running back by committee was...rough. Franklin brought in Nick Singleton and Kaytron Allen who revitalized the position and look to become some of the leading rushers in program history as they head into their senior seasons.
It is not only the players. OC Andy Kotelnicki and STC Justin Lustig have made their respective sides of the ball much better. While these same arguments could be made about quarterback, defensive line, kicker, etc., the point is proven. James Franklin and his coaching staffs have turned weaknesses into strengths. I expect them to do the same at wide receiver.
Besides the transfer portal additions, some young wide receivers are turning heads as we are heading into the summer. Tyseer Denmark, a redshirt freshman, could end up being a significant contributor on the 2025-2026 team. Additionally, true freshmen Koby Howard and Lyrick Samuel have received nothing put praise so far. Furthermore, the class of 2026 has some weapons out wide. Davion Brown, Jahsiear Rogers, and Lavar Keys have all climbed the recruiting rankings.
While there is still a lot to prove from the receiver room, I do not see how the future at the position looks any worse for the Nittany Lions.
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