Penn State Two-A-Days: Linebacker and wide reciever

It’s time for Penn State football two-a-days where we preview two positions each day to prepare you for spring football. The Nittany Lions started to practice this week, and today we’re previewing the wide receivers and the linebackers. If two groups need to prove they’re as talented as they look on paper, it’s these two.

Penn State receivers have opportunity to make big moves

Penn State has 13 receivers on the roster, but only two, transfer Malik McClain and KeAndre Lambert-Smith, have more than 500 career snaps on offense. Mcclain is just over that mark with 727 offensive snaps in two seasons at Florida State. This spring, an incredibly young group will be fighting it out to see who will rise to the occasion and grab playing time now that veterans Mitchell Tinsley and Parker Washington have left with their combined 144 targets from last year.

The name that comes to mind is former high-level recruit Kaden Saunders. The four-star receiver admitted earlier this year that he struggled to adjust to college last year and didn’t play up to his potential. Strength coach Chuck Losey discussed that transition with Saunders earlier this year.

Chuck Losey discusses, Saunders, winter conditioning

After reshaping his body last year and with more confidence in himself, the 5-10 slot receiver needs to use this spring to prove he can contribute next year. If he can, he’s a dangerous vertical threat out of the slot with great route running and speed potential. Beside him is redshirt sophomore Liam Clifford. The big-bodied pass-catcher provides a physical presence inside unlike anything Penn State’s had in recent memory. He caught eight passes for 89 yards in mop-up duty last season from the slot. He can compliment what Saunders does with his skills. They’re a unique blend of size and route running skills that can provide flexibility next fall.

While Omari Evans, Harrison Wallace, Malick Meiga, Tyler Johnson, Anthony Ivey, and Cristian Driver are also in the picture, we’ll focus on the one player we started with, Lambert-Smith. The junior wide receiver has played a complementary role throughout his career, catching 73 passes for 1,048 yards in this three years on the field for the Nittany Lions. However, the issue for Lambert-Smith is that he’s never amassed more than 59 targets in a season, which came in 2021.

While he’s improved his drops throughout his career, consistency in route running and performance have pestered him throughout. According to PFF, He’s only caught three contested catches on 18 attempted during the past three seasons. Playing to his full potential and proving he can be a reliable wide receiver-one for the offense is his stated goal for this spring.

After spring football, the team gets Dante Cephas from the transfer portal. So consider this picture incomplete.

Linebacker preview

How you view the Penn State linebacker room could probably be used on a personality test. What do you see? On the one hand the team returns with veteran Curtis Jacobs and Abdul Carter, two of the most athletic, explosive players at their position in the Big Ten. Both players bulked up a bit this offseason and could represent one of the most talented tandems at the position under James Franklin.

On the other hand, the middle linebacker position is still a battle. Last year’s starter Tyler Elsdon started the spring with an injury, meaning Kobe King is taking center stage for now. Either way, this group needs to show improvement from last season.

More Two-A-Days

• Quarterback and Defensive end
• Running back and defensive tackle

As a position, the two defenders missed 16 total tackles, according to PFF. Elsdon was already tied for the team lead with 11, but that number makes mike linebacker the runaway winner for the area of most significant improvement from a tackling perspective.

While King and Elsdon lack the athletic traits of the other two starters, they can contribute to being dependable, reliable players that don’t draw the ire of Penn State fans. The question this spring will be how much Carter plays at the Mike. When Penn State takes a linebacker off the field for third down, it shouldn’t be either of the two top players. So does Carter moonlight at the position this spring? Flexibility with this group will be critical.

Lastly, fans are no doubt excited to see freshmen Tony Rojas and Ta’Mere Robinson this spring; neither has a clear path to playing time. Rojas plays the field linebacker position with veterans Jacobs and Dom DeLuca in front of him. Robinson is starting at middle linebacker, which will require time to learn before his skills show up. Rojas has an outside shot at playing but still needs to learn the position after playing defensive end in high school.

For the most part, the faces you saw last year are what you can expect this fall.