Nittany Lions’ fans, brace yourself for a more fiery season in 2025. After a close college football playoff mishap with the gusty Orange Bowl loss, Penn State is heading to the new era as one of the championship favorites in the chart. But that doesn’t mean they don’t have to worry about some very realistic issues that have been prevailing over the lore for a while. Penn State wide receivers didn’t record a single catch in the Orange Bowl against Notre Dame. In the team’s most salient game of the season, its only passing production came from the two positions heavily featured in its scheme all year — tight end and running back. But there is some light at the end of the tunnel.
Even before that extreme lack of performance during the Orange Bowl, we saw it coming through the previous high-stakes games. Like against Ohio State, Penn State’s receivers racked up just three catches in a 20-12 loss. It’s a no-brainer that the not-so-foreign sore thumb is going to get more complicated this season. After all, Tyler Warren, the ultimate safety net at tight end for quarterback Drew Allar for the entire 2024, left the building, as did Harrison Wallace III and Omari Evans, the team’s two best weapons, wide receivers.
However, on the lighter side, former USC Trojan Kyron Hudson and former Troy Trojan Devonte Ross will headline the WR room for the coming year. The question it begs: Will they be enough to mend the woes? Answering to that million dollar question, ON3 analyst Andy Staples said, ”Here is history for a guy going from Troy to a big 10 school and is the best receiver now, he was the best receiver to PAC 12 school first, but TZ Johnson is going to Oregon from Troy, worked out pretty well so Devonte Ross.”Oregon Ducks wide receiver Tez Johnson is a pivotal offensive weapon who had a lot of success last season and can make an impact from the slot at the NFL level.
So the seasoning for a transfer seems to be a myth, as he transferred from Troy back in 2023 as well and glided into the Ducks’ style of offense quite well. History speaks of hope.
Another massive portal acquisition, Kyron Hudson, immediately caught the eye. His film clearly showcased that he had all the tools to handle the contested catch situations against menacing defenders, but he didn’t lead as a frontrunner at USC in the past season. So, the skills are not proven again. But Staples continues spreading confetti about the hotline debated WR depth. ”then you got Kyron Hudson, who was not USC’s wide Receiver one obviously he was more of a second banana and I would not expect him to suddenly become a bit of a winner at Penn State but if Devonte is what you think he’s gonna be then, Kyron Hudson becomes a very dangerous number two.
The receiver duo can really pipi into hope for quarterback Drew Allar, who has largely been unprotected throughout 2024, but it’s not the end of the problem chain for the coveted QB.
Can Drew Aller continue to expand his horizon under the new mentor in the room?
Allar didn’t opt for an early NFL draft entry, deciding to return to Happy Valley for the fourth season. Certainly a big relief for coach Franklin. Despite a mid-season injury, the QB phenom started all 16 games, going 262-for-394 for 3,327 yards with 24 touchdowns and eight interceptions. He looks to increase the number and the proficiency even more in his last year in Happy Valley. But will the new addition in the coach room align with his goals and help him continue his growth?
We are talking about Trace McSorely, a bona fide master of college football who understands the quarterback position very well, has experience at both college and NFL level and can be a game changer in the Nittany Lions QB room. But having Trace McSorley on the coaching staff can have some reverse effect, too.
Analyst Thomas FrankCarr broke down the issues: “Trace doesn’t have any coaching experience like he’s coming from like, the NFL kind of a year in between. I don’t know if he was coaching in the inter-intermediary, but not to the level of other guys that have had to earn it before joining Penn State. You know, Deion Barnes joined as a grad assistant when that was still a grad assistant thing, and now the analyst positions are open to coaching.” However, being new doesn’t mean being trash at all. There’s some risk, but with Andy Kotlnicki at the helm of the offense, Drew Allar and Co. can easily adapt to the change and bring out the best.
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