James Franklin claims there is a 'pretty significant buzz' around Tyseer Denmark

Penn State Nittany Lions head coach James Franklin praised freshman wide receiver Tyseer Denmark, noting that there’s buzz around the team about how he’s played.

This comes as Franklin looked to revamp the Nittany Lions offense in the offseason, making the move from Mike Yurcich to Andy Kotelnicki at offensive coordinator.

“Tyseer has really flashed and done some really nice things,” James Franklin said. “This is very, very different. So, there’s still an adjustment period going on. There’s a pretty significant buzz in the program about him.”

Tyseer Denmark is coming to Penn State as a three-star recruit in the Class of 2024, according to the On3 Industry Ranking. He was the 88th-ranked wide receiver recruit and the 556th-ranked player nationally. He chose to go to Penn State over schools like Ohio State, Oregon, and Rutgers among others.

Notably, Franklin didn’t note if Denmark would be able to see the field at the start of his freshman year. However, if he’s already impressing people around the Penn State program, then it stands to reason that Nittany Lions fans will see him sooner rather than later. In particular, if he continues on his current trajectory.

“Tyseer is probably the guy that right now is the closest to helping us,” Franklin went on to add.

James Franklin went on to explain that when he says a player is flashing that it’s not one thing that they’re going right. It’s actually about doing a lot of things well that help a player to stand out.

“It’s not one thing. It’s route running, it’s being competitive, it’s his confidence with his hands and catching the ball, it’s his ability to retain information,” Franklin said. “He’s just doing enough good things that you think you’ll have a chance, but it’s not like it’s one specific thing that’s standing out.”

A Philadelphia native, Tyseer Denmark played at Roman Catholic, where coaches compared him to Marvin Harrison and Will Fuller. He ended up playing his senior year at Imhotep Institute in Philadelphia. There, they went 15-0 and earned a Pennsylvania 5A State Championship.

Tyseer Denmark is one of several new wide receivers that James Franklin has added to the Penn State wide receiver room for 2024. That includes adding a total of three wide receivers in the 2024 freshman class. It also includes a major transfer addition in Julian Fleming as the Nittany Lions look to take a step forward on offense.