Who is Penn State’s best wide receiver since 2000? See how beat reporters voted
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Penn State football: The best players since 2000
For summer 2025, we’re looking back on the past quarter century of Penn State football and Nittany Lions. We formed a panel of voters to determine the best players at each position since the 2000 season, along with the top 10 offensive and defensive players overall.
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With Penn State set to embark on the 2025 season in just over two months — with a roster filled with elite talent and high expectations — we’ve decided to look back on the past quarter century of football and Nittany Lions.
We reached out to eight Penn State beat writers to form a panel of voters who have determined the best Nittany Lions at each position since the 2000 season, along with the top 10 offensive and defensive players overall, based on their stats, accomplishments and the eye test.
That panel is made up of: Neil Rudel (Altoona Mirror), Rich Scarcella (Reading Eagle), Audrey Snyder (The Nittany Dispatch), Mark Brennan (Lions247), Mark Wogenrich (Penn State on SI), Frank Bodani (York Daily Record), Daniel Gallen (Lions247), Johnny McGonigal (PennLive), Josh Moyer (Centre Daily Times) and Jon Sauber (Centre Daily Times).
And at the end of each week, you’ll have a chance to vote on each position in a poll at the bottom of the story and have your say in who are the best Nittany Lions since 2000. Results will be shared at the end of the series later this summer.
Without further ado, let’s begin the series with a position that has some heavy hitters from the 2010s near the top — wide receiver.
Note: All stats and years played are from 2000 and beyond unless otherwise noted. First-place votes are in parentheses for players with a high rank of one.
T-9. Jordan Norwood
High rank: 6 | Low rank: NR | Average rank: 8.8
Years played: 2005-2008
Stats: 158 receptions, 2,015 receiving yards, 13 receiving touchdowns
Norwood cracks the top 10 in a position that Neil Rudel described as a “deep roster with tough choices.” The former Nittany Lion was the third option behind Deon Butler and Derrick Williams when he was at Penn State, but that didn’t stop him from having a prolific career. His 2,015 yards ranks eighth in program history while his 158 receptions ranks seventh. While he didn’t have a single prolific season in his four years at PSU, Norwood was a consistent option for the program and a reliable target out of the slot in a time where it had plenty of success.
T-9. Derek Moye
High rank: 7 | Low rank: NR | Average rank: 8.8
Years played: 2008-2011
Stats: 144 receptions, 2,395 receiving yards, 18 receiving touchdowns
Moye was the leading receiver for Penn State three years in a row from 2009 to 2011 and earned himself All-Big Ten honorable mention in all three of those years. He was never as prolific as some of the players above him, but his 6-foot-5 frame made him an ideal red zone target and deep target. He was able haul in 18 receiving touchdowns, tying him for sixth all-time in program history, while his 2,395 receiving yards earns him the seventh spot all-time for Penn State.
8. K.J. Hamler
High rank: 5 | Low rank: NR | Average rank: 8.6
Years played: 2018-2019
Stats: 98 receptions, 1,658 receiving yards, 13 receiving touchdowns
There aren’t many players on this list more dynamic than Hamler, but a lack of extended success kept him from ranking higher than eighth. The two-year starter was the No. 1 option in the 2018 and 2019 Penn State offenses and was a threat to score any time he touched the ball. His performance earned him an All-Big Ten second team honor in 2019 and eventually led to him going in the second round of the 2020 NFL draft. While his career numbers aren’t gaudy, his playmaking ability made him a unique talent in an offense that needed him.
7. Derrick Williams
High rank: 5 | Low rank: NR | Average rank: 8.1
Years played: 2005-2008
Stats: 161 receptions, 1,743 receiving yards, 9 receiving touchdowns
Williams is the second receiver from the 2005-2008 teams to make the list and was arguably the most dynamic player on those teams. He was a weapon on offense even if he only led the team in receiving yards once in those four years (2007). His 594 rushing yards and eight rushing touchdowns are part of what made him such a threat for the Nittany Lions and earned him a second team All-American selection in 2008. He, like Hamler, does not necessarily have awe-inspiring receiving numbers, but was a major threat to score any time he had the ball in his hands.
6. Bryant Johnson
High rank: 3 | Low rank: 10 | Average rank: 5.7
Years played: 2000-2002
Stats: 103 receptions, 1,868 receiving yards, 8 receiving touchdowns
While his Penn State career was not as prolific as other elite receivers — in part due to the era he played in — Johnson remains one of the best at the position. He led the 2001 and 2002 teams in receiving yards and did so as a big-time deep threat. He is seventh in yards per reception in Penn State history with 18.25, and had the sixth-best yards per reception for any single season with 19.1 in 2002. That eventually led him to go in the first round of the 2003 NFL Draft — making him the only receiver in this century to go in the first round.
5. DaeSean Hamilton
High rank: 4 | Low rank: 6 | Average rank: 5.2
Years played: 2014-2017
Stats: 214 receptions, 2,842 receiving yards, 18 receiving touchdowns
There’s only one player on this list who can say he’s the program’s all-time leader in receptions and that’s Hamilton. He had an occasionally up and down career with drops as an issue, but he was a high-level receiver who was so good for so long that he racked up those 214 catches. His 2,842 receiving yards rank second all-time for the program and his 18 receiving touchdowns tie him for sixth all-time at PSU. His production ultimately earned him two All-Big Ten second team honors and an eventual landing spot in the fourth round of the 2018 NFL Draft.
4. Deon Butler
High rank: 1 (1) | Low rank: 7 | Average rank: 3.7
Years played: 2005-2008
Stats: 179 receptions, 2,771 receiving yards, 22 receiving touchdowns
Butler is one of three players to receive at least one first-place vote, and earned it after being the leading receiver three times in an era that saw three players make this list. He was the best receiver among himself, Williams and Norwood and the 2,771 receiving yards Butler racked up in those four years have him third all-time in program history. His 179 receptions are also third in PSU history, while his 22 touchdowns have him fourth. Butler was a second team All-Big Ten player in 2008, but you could argue he never received quite enough recognition for his production on teams that relied on him heavily.
3. Chris Godwin
High rank: 1 (1) | Low rank: 6 | Average rank: 3.2
Years played: 2014-2016
Stats: 154 receptions, 2,421 receiving yards, 18 receiving touchdowns
The No. 1 receiver on the 2016 Big Ten champions, Godwin earned a single first-place vote in the poll. The former Nittany Lion was a part of two teams that struggled offensively but was the focal point of that 2016 team that has proven to be a turning point in the James Franklin era. His 2015 season — which earned him an All-Big Ten second team spot — with 1,101 receiving yards is the fourth most in program history, but his 2016 with 982 yards also ranks him eighth. Godwin currently ranks sixth in career receiving yards (2,421) and tied for sixth in touchdowns (18) in Penn State history.
2. Jahan Dotson
High rank: 2 | Low rank: 4 | Average rank: 2.8
Years played: 2018-2021
Stats: 183 receptions, 2,757 receiving yards, 25 receiving touchdowns
Despite not receiving any first-place votes, Dotson finished second because of his narrow range as someone who was ranked in the top four by all 10 votes. The former Nittany Lion had a very linear progression throughout his career, having a role as a freshman, stepping up as a No. 2 option as a sophomore, becoming the No. 1 option as a junior before breaking out as an elite player as a senior when he was a third team All-American. He’s second in career receptions (183), fourth in career receiving yards (2,757), and is tied for second in career receiving touchdowns (25) in Penn State history. Dotson’s 2021 was one of the best single seasons in program history, with his 91 receptions ranking third, his 1,182 receiving yards ranking third and his 12 touchdowns ranking second in single season program history. All of that while holding the record for most receiving yards in a single game in Penn State history with 242.
1. Allen Robinson
High rank: 1 (8) | Low rank: 2 | Average rank: 1.2
Years played: 2011-2013
Stats: 177 receptions, 2,479 receiving yards, 17 receiving touchdowns
This should be no surprise to any Penn State fan. Robinson earned eight of the 10 first-place votes and was ranked second by the voters who had Butler and Godwin first. He’s a two-time Big Ten receiver of the year award-winner, a 2013 first team All-American and had the best career of any player on this list despite being “badly misused” by the 2011 coaching staff, according to Mark Brennan. That year he had only three catches for 29 yards as a true freshman. And even with that first season, Robinson still finished fourth in career receptions (177), fifth in career receiving yards (2,479) and ninth in career receiving yards (17) in Penn State history. His 2013 was the best single season any Penn State wide out has had, with 1,432 receiving yards (first in program history) and 97 receptions (second in program history) helping him carry an offense that was in desperate need of his production. Robinson was the clear No. 1 option in his second and third years on campus, but there still wasn’t anything opposing defenses could do to stop him — part of what makes him the best Penn State receiver since the turn of the century.
This story was originally published June 23, 2025 at 6:00 AM.
