Tyler Warren just got drafted in the first round by the Indianapolis Colts with their 14th pick, ending an illustrious season with Penn State. While this is a moment to celebrate for Penn State supporters and praise the development James Franklin has made on the team, this is also a calamitous moment in many ways. Just ask yourself why Penn State made it deep in the playoffs last season? And who was catching those passes by Drew Allar as Penn State’s running backs exceeded expectations? Only one name will come up: Tyler Warren. Now that he is gone to the NFL, this brings a plethora of problems for the expansive receiver room at Penn State.
Warren received for more than 1,200 yards last season and also ran for 218 yards. All in all, he was the player who stood tall when the receiving corps was a disappointing mess, game after game. The culmination of all those woes finally came in the Orange Bowl game loss against Notre Dame last season. The reason? Not one receiver managed to catch a single pass as Drew Allar just completed 12 of his 23 passes for 135 yards. The loss increased James Franklin’s losing record against AP top 5 opponents to 1-15, and what followed is grimmer than you can imagine..
The expansive receiver room has several key players this off-season, despite already having a disappointing wide receivers corps that was probably the worst in the Big 10. Now, despite the woes, both Harrison Wallace and Omari Evans departed, Wallace to the Ole Miss Rebels and Evans to Washington. Moreover, Julian Fleming exhausted eligibility and went undrafted (signed by the Green Bay Packers now as a free agent), and other tight ends like Jerry Cross went to Memphis. The only returning wide receiver this year with some experience will be Liam Clifford, and that brings up a looming problem.
Greg McElroy, the ESPN analyst, echoed some of the same concerns in his recent verdict. “Now, there are still some questions about maybe the supporting cast. How do they feel about their wide receivers? Is that group a group that can improve? Can they adequately fill the void of Tyler Warren, whose departure will certainly be felt in many ways for the Penn State Nittany Lions? Can they adequately do those things?”
Well, McElroy did remain optimistic and even said, “Drew Allar. He should be poised for a really solid leap forward this upcoming year.” But the concerns surrounding the wide receiver room and the inexperience surrounding it are still real. James Franklin got Kyron Hudson from the USC Trojans, Devonte Ross from Troy, and Trebor Pena from the Syracuse Orange. Still, concerns about their experience are quite vocal. For instance, take the case of Trebor Pena.
Uphill battle for Pena at Penn State?
Well, the case of Trebor Pena at first glance looks quite interesting, since he is the one who exceeded all expectations with Fran Brown last season. I mean, it’s never easy to produce more than 900 receiving yards in just the first year of a new head coach, moreover, he has 1,212 yards in his career at Syracuse. So, the feat was undoubtedly heroic, still, the player has missed the whole spring practice, and there remain doubts about how he will transition to the Big 10.
Zach Seyko of ‘Locked on Nittany Lions’ in his April 27th podcast talks about a similar concern with Trebor Pena that James Franklin will face. “I still think there’s going to be a time adjustment,” he pointed out. “You have to bring him in, get him situated, because he missed all of spring camp. That’s an opportunity to, like I said, with Ross and Hudson, build chemistry, learn the playbook, and get in sync with Drew Allar.” The Penn State insider said that the transition will not be ” impossible, but it’s an uphill battle,”.
Well, as tough as the transition might be, a player like Pena, who has just one year of eligibility in his pocket, might find some motivation to perform. Apart from him, Devante Ross is also coming after a 1,000+ yard season with Troy, whereas Hudson received for 462 yards in Lincoln Riley’s offense. So, the expectations and hype will be there. But the main issue will still be transition. The question now is, can they rise against that tide?
The post Doubts Loom Over Drew Allar’s Future in Tough Penn State Revelation as 1,212-Yard Verdict Piles Pressure on James Franklin appeared first on EssentiallySports.