Questions remain about Penn State’s receivers this year. Is Harrison Wallace III the answer?
It is not Groundhog Day. The questions about Penn State’s offense just so happen to be the same in 2024 that they were in 2023.
A group with a talented quarterback, two NFL-caliber running backs, an NFL-caliber tight end and a good offensive line may not end up being great this season. And if it isn’t, it will likely have the same position group to blame as last year’s Nittany Lions did — the wide receivers.
The team’s wideouts failed to take the next step last year and then two of the best players in the room — KeAndre Lambert-Smith and Dante Cephas — transferred. In their stead is former Ohio State wide receiver Julian Fleming, who transferred in, but the questions remain the same.
Who is the No. 1 receiver in the room? Are there enough playable options for the Nittany Lions to succeed? Will the group play well in the biggest games?
Much like last year, the real answers won’t be known until the games start — and probably not until well into the season — but there is reason for optimism on at least one front.
Harrison Wallace III has stepped up at receiver and looks like a legitimate threat to be the No. 1 receiving option for Penn State this season.
And for right now, there is faith that the group as a whole can improve off last year.
“So far, solid, and obviously there’s still some steps that need to be taken there for that entire room,” Penn State head coach James Franklin said. “Obviously that’s been a big question mark for the media and some of the fans. I think the coaching staff and I think the players have, I would say, a good amount of confidence in what that room has the ability to do and the amount of work that they have put in with Beau and Drew all summer.”
It all will have to start at the top for the Nittany Lions, and that means Wallace after the two departures.
He was only sixth on the team in receiving yards, and third among wide receivers — behind Lambert-Smith and Cephas — but part of that was due to injuries that either limited him or kept him out of games last year.
Now he’s healthy and has taken the strides necessary during the offseason to set himself up for a big year.
“(Wallace has) done a really good job,” wide receivers coach Marques Hagans said. “He’s worked really hard to get in shape and to put himself in position to have the best season of his career. Really excited for him and what he brings to the table. Just love watching him show up to work every day and set the example of how it’s supposed to be and how we’re supposed to go about our business.”
And it’s not just his position coach saying it. Safety K.J. Winston, arguably the defense’s best player and a potential first round pick in next year’s draft, has taken notice of Wallace.
“He’s playing off the charts,” Winston said. “He’s showcasing his talent like no other right now and playing his best football. ... He’s doing all the little things right.”
His growth could go a long way in elevating the entire room around him — not just by pushing them to be better, but also by allowing the other receivers to settle in to more natural roles. That was part of the issue last season for the Nittany Lions. With no true top option, the entire room was asked to elevate and make up for it.
That group has grown in its own right, but still lacks a player that can meet Wallace’s level right now. Fleming is an ideal complement as a No. 2, with the size, precision and physicality to win as a route runner and blocker, but doesn’t have the run-after-catch ability to be a true No. 1. Kaden Saunders and Liam Clifford are quality slot options with the quickness and hands to create space and run in the middle of the field, but Saunders lacks the size and Clifford lacks the open field ability to step into a bigger role.
All of those criticisms — and the ones levied last season about the position not being good enough — are loud enough that the receivers themselves see and hear them. Some have let them slide by, like Fleming, a fifth year player who has seen and heard it all before.
But others have internalized it and used it to push them to greater heights.
“We just use it as fire an motivation,” Evans said. “Because people are doubting us. And we know what we can do, so we’ve got a lot to prove that people are going to see.”
The push could be enough for Evans and his position mates to take the necessary strides. But at at the end of the day, it may not be ability or want-to that dictates what happens at the position for Penn State.
Because Wallace has the qualities teams want in a top receiver — he’s a high-level athlete with the speed to break away, the quickness to create space and the leaping ability to win in contested catch situations. But the health question is the one that will dictate what he’s able to do this season. If he gets there, November could roll around and the questions about the position could be miles behind in the rearview.
If not, it will feel like Groundhog Day all over again.
This story was originally published August 13, 2024 at 10:54 AM.
