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How does Penn State coach James Franklin evaluate his receivers after four weeks?

Greg Pickelby:Greg Pickel•09/26/23•

GregPickel

Penn State WR KeAndre Lambert-Smith
Penn State wide receiver KeAndre Lambert-Smith caught three of five targets on deep passes in 2022. He caught four of 14 in 2023 for virtually the same yardage. Can new offensive coordinator Andy Kotelnicki unlock the talented senior? (© Dan Rainville / USA TODAY NETWORK)

Penn State is at the quarter pole of the 2023 season. The Nittany Lions had plenty of questions before the year began. As September nears its conclusion, most of them have been answered. Some have had good outcomes. Others are still up in the air. Where does receiver play fall on that scale?

Lions coach James Franklin was asked to evaluate the group on Tuesday ahead of a Week 5 clash with Northwestern. Number one target KeAndre Lambert-Smith leads the way with 21 catches for 286 yards and three touchdowns. Harrison “Trey” Wallace III is second with 10 receptions for 98 yards. Liam Clifford is third with seven catches for 77 yards. And, Dante Cephas and Malik McClain each have five receptions, while Omari Evans has just one. He and Wallace III have both missed time due to injuries so far during this Penn State season.

“I’ve been pleased with the group,” Franklin said. “I think we need to be more consistent as a total group, some guys maybe more than others. KeAndre has shown what he can do. Getting Trey back last week, although I wouldn’t even say he was necessarily 100 percent but he was cleared and good to go, that was big for us as well. And then we got a group of guys that we’ve talked about that have shown flashes at times and are doing some good things. But, we need that to continue to grow.”

More on the Penn State receivers

Part of the lack of stats for the Penn State receivers is due to big numbers for the tight ends. Tyler Warren and Theo Johnson have combined for 22 catches for 178 yards and four touchdowns. Khalil Dinkins has a scoring grab, as well. It still feels fair to say that the Nittany Lions do not have a go-to number three receiver after Lambert-Smith and Wallace III. But, the players fighting for that job have all shown flashes throughout the 4-0 start. They just need to do it more consistently.

“I think still probably the same [as before the season],” Franklin said. “[We] got about five guys that we think can play and have shown some good things in games and in practice. But, we just need to be more consistent. So overall good. But, we got to keep growing and getting better in that area.”

Penn State-Northwestern starts at Noon ET on Saturday at Ryan Field in Evanston, Ill. Big Ten Network will televise the game.

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