Penn State football spring practice progress report at the midway point: Checking in with the receivers
Penn State football is wrapping up the middle third of spring practice.
The Nittany Lions will be on the field for their ninth of 15 drill days between March and April on Friday. Head coach James Franklin and his program continue their march toward the Blue-White game on April 23.
Blue-White Illustrated is taking a look at the progress report for each position group right around the midway point. Today, the receivers are in the spotlight.
Who is in the mix?
Penn State starts the spring with healthy numbers in the receivers room.
Parker Washington is now expected to lead the way with Jahan Dotson off to the NFL. Other returners for the Lions include KeAndre Lambert-Smith, Malick Meiga, Liam Clifford, Harrison Wallace III, Jan Mahlert, and Jason Estrella.
Four players, then, are new to position coach Taylor Stubblefield’s room. Mitchell Tinsley joined the Lions this offseason from Western Kentucky. Kaden Saunders and Omari Evans, then, enrolled early after signing with the program’s Class of 2022. Finally, Penn State flipped Mason Stahl from quarterback to receiver earlier this offseason.
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What is the progress report for Penn State receivers through half of spring practice?
Washington is back for a second season and is clearly the leader of this room. The media is allowed to only watch position drills during the early part of one practice a week. Without fail, Washington is always the one leading the way, regardless of whether that means taking the first rep or organizing the drill before helping his younger teammates kick things off.
Penn State should feel good about where this room stands. But, it’s also packed with a lot of potential and not an equal amount of production. One exception, however, Tinsley. He had 87 catches for 1,402 yards and 14 touchdowns last year. Now, he’s charged with matching those numbers in the Big Ten while also meshing with new teammates. It’s been so far, so good, both from the eye test and in terms of what others are sharing about him.
“He’s picked up the offense pretty well,” Franklin said. “The rest of spring and summer will be really important for him. I think there’ll be a really good competition for those wide receiver spots.”
Competition is key to Franklin, and he does indeed have it here. After Washington and Tinsley comes Lambert-Smith and Meiga. Fans have somewhat of a sense of what the former can do. However, Meiga continues to be talked about as a physical freak in the weight room who is primed to explode on game day. He looks tremendous but now must match those off-field gains with on-field results.
Dotton, Clifford, and Wallace III, then, are scholarship returners hoping to improve their playing time. Finally, Saunders and Evans are a pair of early enrollees who the staff is excited about. However, both need to pack up some weight before being ready to play under the bright lights.
What do we still want to see?
We’re reaching the point of spring practice when a few scrimmages, including the Blue-White game, remain. It will be interesting to hear who is receiving the most attention after those between Lambert-Smith, Meiga, and Tinsley, as they figure to lead the way behind Washington.
But, Penn State could have some surprises in store with this group, as the young players will be anxious to earn their reps, as well.
All told, plenty of fun competition remains for this bunch, both this spring and during the fall.
