Penn State’s top three wide receivers accounted for 1,577 yards and 11 touchdown receptions in 2022. Solid numbers, but nothing special.
A year earlier, Jahan Dotson produced 1,182 yards and 12 touchdown catches in 12 games.
The Nittany Lions’ improved run game impacted the 2022 pass game numbers. PSU churned for 2,354 yards and 28 scores on the ground after being limited to 1,402 yards and 11 touchdowns in 2021.
Penn State’s top two runners, Nick Singleton and Kaytron Allen, are back. But the Lions still need more from their wideouts.
The receivers will have a new coach, Marques Hagans, and some new faces.
PennLive’s early look series continues with Penn State’s receivers. It will be an interesting group to watch in the offseason.
Top returnees: KeAndre Lambert-Smith, Harrison Wallace III, Malick Meiga
Lambert-Smith, now in his fourth season, caught 24 passes for 389 yards and four touchdowns last fall. He got loose for an 88-yard touchdown reception in the Lions’ Rose Bowl win over Utah. Lambert-Smith has the size and speed to cause problems for defenses after the catch. Is he ready to become the No. 1 option in the pass game?
Wallace, a third-year player, showed flashes of playmaking ability in a reserve role. He caught 19 passes for 273 yards and a touchdown.
Meiga appeared in 12 games in 2022 but saw limited work at wideout. He did see action on the Lions’ special teams.
Wallace’s classmate, Liam Clifford, is another Lion to watch.
Moving on: Parker Washington, Mitchell Tinsley
Washington left Penn State after three seasons. He could be a Day 2 pick in the upcoming NFL draft. Despite missing three games due to an undisclosed injury, Washington caught 46 passes for 611 yards and two touchdowns.
Tinsley made the most of his one season in State College after transferring from Western Kentucky. He led the Lions in receptions (51) and produced five touchdown catches.
Players to watch: Dante Cephas, Malik McClain, Omari Evans, Kaden Saunders
Penn State added a pair of talented players via the transfer portal — Cephas (Kent State) and McClain (Florida State).
Cephas was one of the best receivers in the MAC the last two seasons. A standout at Penn Hills where he was a teammate of Penn State cornerback Daequan Hardy, Cephas totaled 130 catches, 1,984 yards and 12 touchdowns combined in 2021 and ‘22. He is not yet on campus and expected to arrive this summer.
McClain caught five touchdowns passes during his final two years at Florida State.
The speedy Evans appeared in all 13 of Penn State’s games last year as a true freshman, catching five passes for 55 yards and a score.
Saunders, a four-star recruit and Evans’ classmate, redshirted last season. He can help the Lions as a receiver and a return man.
And keep an eye on these second-year wideouts: Anthony Ivey, Tyler Johnson and Cristian Driver.
2023 signees: Carmelo Taylor
Taylor, a four-star addition who prepped at Patrick Henry High School in Virginia, brings speed to the room but won’t practice at Penn State until the summer.
