it looks like we have 8 WR's on scholarship with move of Driver to WR. plus 9 with incoming FR. how many do we need?
WR need?
- Thread starter blion72
- Start date
What we need are taller WRs. Someone who is 6’4” who can stretch the field.
Correct. They are looking for someone to work down field. Either someone bigger or a speedster.
I don't know why we can't just constantly recruit the next Megatron (Calvin Johnson).
We need someone who can take the top off the defense, then we need guys who win 50-50 balls given the nature of our offense.
so it sounds like we have recruited a room full of small slow guys. The biggest WR #80 seems to have no impact other than playing ST's. unless we get a surprise transfer, this is the group we are going to have to play with.
By all accounts, you will very likely see 2 WRs come into the room before the '23 version of this team takes the field next fall.
Cephas will likely be 1, if they get him admitted.
Based on the offers still going out, they are going after 2 for sure.
Tinsley is out of eligibility. Washington turning pro.
I don't think we see any further movement until we have the 2 transfers in tow and the crunch requires movement. Theoretically, if they can bring 2 in to compete with the existing roster through the spring portal session, that's probably perfect (if the #s allow).
Allar is going to be a fresh slate for the WRs.
I just Pickel's roster summary article and it is disappointing thus far. However if we land Cephus and Thornton there is hope. Those two with what we have will star with Allar tossing them the ball. On the other side of the ball, Franklin has to ask the question, why would Jeudy leave A & M, and transfer to Nebraska. We have a need for a beast on the D-Line, he is from Philadelphia and the weather is just as horrible in Lincoln as it is State College.
I read some comments by Stubblefield that indicated PSU has a number of their top options still on the table and that they will be hosting those WR portal players on campus in early January. And that the PSU staff is intent on bringing in 2 experienced WR's from the portal. Just because some players that PSU recruited out of H.S. quickly went somewhere else is no concrete reason to believe PSU had put those players at or near the top of their WR portal transfer board, or that those players had any interest in coming to PSU.
Recruiting from the portal is likely somewhat different than recruiting high school players. In some cases it would seem that recruiting the Mom's and Dad's would have less consideration. Franklin has said he prefers to go after players that he has some previous relationship with, but he can't limit the field to those players.
Franklin likely doesn't have to ask those questions regarding Jeudy, as he likely already knows the reason(s). Could be NIL, soured relationships, new exciting relationships, better opportunities to start, or a number of others....
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According to the gopsusports posted roster:
- KLS
- Dottin
- Meiga
- Clifford
- Evans
- Wallace
- Ivey
- Johnson
- Saunders
- Driver
- Taylor
Which is why the staff is putting a high priority on bringing in two experienced, somewhat proven, WR's from the portal. As Stubblefield recently commented, in line with the type of experienced WR that Tinsley was when they decided to bring him to PSU.
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Fair enough. and thanks. The top programs know that the portal is thin at the top, and although Cephus and Thornton are still out there, the thin cream of this year's portal are quickly choosing other schools. I do hope Stubblefield is right. Penn State has the resources, except the weather, across the board to compete with any school in the Power 5. We are producing prominent pros, and Franklin is the best at recruiting moms and dads as well as the kid. But this is the year(s) he must deliver
The portal offers are 2 fold.
1. You have to throw your name in the hat early if you want a shot.
2. They staff values returning experience and the portal allows for this opportunity where as before it was impossible.
Jeudy didn't have interest out of HS. Why assume he would out of the portal?
1 other thing we may see 1-2 WR on the roster currently "encouraged" to see their playing time elsewhere... Usually if JF see's them not developing like they had hoped. That could open up a few more spots as well.
Yep, and with 8 of the 11 having freshman or soph eligibility plus KLS seemingly the leader of the returning WR's and a sure fire starter the candidates are obvious..... But it may be until after Spring practices are over before the depth chart encourages those decisions.
Would be nice is Saunders makes a major step forward. He has the speed and came in with a lot of fanfare. 1 coach who has been using the portal to his advantage has been Harbaugh. Like him or not he is usually very active in the portal and plugged holes with the portal. Good coaches will use the portal actively IMHO.
Tinsley was just o.k. He was not the difference maker or deep threat like Jahan Dotson. PSU needs difference makers with speed at the WR position. They already have too many possession type WRs on the roster.
Yep, that's why Franklin and Stubblefield are all over the portal WR's. Gotta hope at least one of the portal WR's PSU gets can stretch the field and be a deep threat, but OSU's Harrison isn't coming. So to form a better WR unit than what PSU had in 2022 KLS needs to become a better deep threat and a couple of the younger WR's need to step up and become pretty consistent playmakers.
Yep Tinsley wasn't Dotson, but were you really expecting an incoming tranfer WR to be as good as Dotson who was a first round NFL draft choice? That would be pretty unrealistic. The portal is pretty much damage control for the misses that Franklin and Stubblefield have had at WR in the 2020-2022 recruiting classes. And if any of the available portal WR's were as good as Dotson they would be going to the NFL draft, not to PSU.........
it may happen they miss in the portal. that means we have to use what we have. no point in going to portal if not an upgrade over what we have on the roster. what were the recruiting rankings of these guys? were they all just a bunch of small, slow 2* players?
Not true at all. You don’t go to the portal to just get a body. You go to the portal to get an upgrade from what you already have. That is the expectation and that is what our competition is doing. There are many portal WRs much better than Tinsley. PSU needs to get some of them.
Yes, it is true. Who said they are just looking for a "body"??
Yep, they are going for an upgrade in on the field production and maturity. 8 of the 11 WR's now enrolled at PSU are freshmen and sophs, with only Wallace having a fair amount of playing time. And two of the upper classmen at PSU, Meiga and Dottin, have not been able to break into the PSU game WR rotation. So they are going after players that have actually produced at the college level.
The won't find a #1 draft choice like Dotson in the transfer portal, as a player like Dotson would be going to the NFL.
But they will get a player that has made a lot of catches and played a good bit at the college level, which is what the PSU WR room is short on now. It would be great if they can find a player with multiple years of eligibility. But more probable is getting a WR or WR's that can help improve the PSU WR unit for 2023.
That's true. But what they have now is exactly 1 WR with significant experience. KLS. And Wallace, who is still a work in progress towards being a productive B10 WR.
Beyond those two they have 7 young WR's, freshmen and sophs, and two upper classmen that have not been able to break into the game day WR rotation.
No, the young players wer not small, slow 2 star players. But none of them have much college experience and most of them seem to need some seasoning which is why Franklin and Stubblefield are looking to compliment the young players with a couple WR that have already performed in college games. Add to the competition within the WR roster.
But it would seem that as the young WR's already on the roster continue their journey at PSU this off season in the S&C program and Spring practice that a few of them will prove ready to also compete for significant game playing time in 2023.
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