Penn State Top 25 Countdown: No. 14 WR Dante Cephas
As we continue to count down Penn State's top 25 preseason players here at Happy Valley Insider, next up is a player expected to impact the passing game in transfer wide receiver Dante Cephas.
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Cephas comes to Penn State after a prolific career at Kent State. A Pittsburgh native where he was a high school teammate of Daequan Hardy at Penn Hills, Cephas has long had a relationship with the Nittany Lion coaching staff. Especially Terry Smith. Due to this, it was not a surprise at all when he chose the Nittany Lions after entering the transfer portal.
Last season, Cephas caught 48 passes for 744 yards and 3 touchdowns. While these were strong numbers, they were a step back from 2021 when Cephas had 1,240 receiving yards and 9 touchdowns on 82 receptions.
A big factor in the stats regression for Cephas in 2022 was injury as he was limited to just 9 games. Despite the injury, Cephas was still a first-team All-MAC performer last fall.
Cephas was expected to come to Happy Valley and seize a starting job as a wide receiver. Thus far, he finds himself in a battle in fall camp with Omari Evans for the third starting receiver spot. Even if Cephas does not begin the season as a "starter," he should still see as many reps as any receivers not named KeAndre Lambert-Smith and maybe Tre Wallace this fall while still being a key cog in the Nittany Lion offense.
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