Penn State held its annual Blue-White Spring Game at Beaver Stadium on Saturday, marking the conclusion of the Nittany Lions' 2025 spring practice schedule.
While there may not be many significant takeaways from the spring game, a few players did manage to stand out during the scrimmage.
JOIN TODAY AND GET 30 DAYS FREE! | THE LIONS DEN FORUM | PENN STATE FOOTBALL 2025 RECRUITING CLASS | PENN STATE BASKETBALL RECRUITING
1. Penn State’s wide receiver room shows promise ahead of 2025
The wide receiver position has been one under deep scrutiny over the part two years by Penn State fans and the media alike. After two subpar seasons at the position, Penn State’s revamped wide receiver room is showing plenty of promise ahead of the 2025 season.
On Saturday transfers Devonte Ross and Kyron Hudson both were solid, making several nice catches throughout the scrimmage. Both receivers will help raise the floor of Penn State’s wide receiver room this fall. Additionally, redshirt freshman Tyseer Denmark had himself a nice day with several receptions including one for a big gain.
Those three wide receivers should provide Penn State with a strong trio at the top of their depth chart this fall.
On top of those three, true freshman Kobe Howard and Lyrick Samuel had nice days. Howard has had a strong spring as a whole. He’ll have a strong opportunity to earn a potential green light from the coaching staff for the fall.
That’s not to mention the addition on Saturday of Syracuse transfer Trebor Pena.
2. Jaxon Smolik makes his argument to be QB2
It was a nice day for redshirt sophomore Jaxon Smolik. While we don’t have final stats for the Iowa native, it was an impressive showing throughout Saturday for Smolik.
Notably, coming off a completely missed 2024 season, Smolik showed the ability on Saturday to make a variety of runs whether from the pocket or on the run. He started the game by getting snaps with the second-team offense over redshirt freshman quarterback Ethan Grunkemeyer.
The game's highlight was Smolik, rolling left, getting into a good position to throw, and throwing a perfect pass off his back foot to Lyrick Samuel for a touchdown.
The battle for the No.2 QB job will be one that carries into the fall but commas spring practice ends, the edge certainly could be with Smolik.
3. True Freshman DE Yvan Kemajou looks primed for early playing time
Among the notable defensive performances on Saturday was that true freshman defensive end Yvan Kemajou saw time with the first-team defense. Kemajou was seen throughout the game taking snaps opposite redshirt senior Zuriah Fisher.
Getting first-team reps on Saturday is a strong sign for Kemajou when it comes to potentially earning a green light from the staff for this upcoming fall. The Maryland native saw his stock rise significantly last year following his commitment to Penn State. Now since arriving on campus, Kemajou seemingly hasn’t missed a beat. He’ll be among the fire freshman to watch closely this fall.
--------------------------------------------------------------
• Subscribe to our YouTube Channel
