Penn State wants to add transfer portal receivers; Taylor Stubblefield explains why, and how many it is hoping to land

Penn State has not been shy about its plan to add receivers from the transfer portal this offseason. The Lions have likely offered as many players at the position as any school across the country. It has so far not struck gold and only hosted one player, former Kent State receiver Dante Cephas, who remains uncommitted, at the position so far.

However, the hunt is ongoing and the program plans to leave no stone unturned as it seeks to add experience to a key room on offense ahead of quarterback Drew Allar’s ascension to the starting quarterback role in 2023.

“We are going to be in the transfer portal, there is no doubt about it,” receivers coach Taylor Stubblefield said Wednesday. “I mean, if you look at a guy like Mitch Tinsley, high productive guy at a Group of Five school that was able to come in, learn the system, really learned all three positions, and he was able to do it at a high level.

“So, we’re looking for a guy who can help us help us win, no matter if it’s high school or the portal. And so yeah, we’re looking, and we got some guys in mind. And this is a unique period of, you did have visits last year, [but] Mitch didn’t even visit. Now you have some ability to visit. So these next 16 days will be interesting to see who is going to be the right guys for us to take.”

The receiver room at Penn State in 2023 shows reasons for portal pursuits

Penn State knew Mitchell Tinsley would be off to the NFL after the 2022 season. It had a good idea that Parker Washington would be, too. But, that doesn’t change the fact that a clear number one option for next fall does not currently exist. KeAndre Lambert-Smith is the leading candidate. But, his production has been inconsistent to date. The same can be said for Harrison “Tre” Wallace, although he’s been on campus for less time. Then, there are players with experience who have shown flashes of talent but not yet shown enough to be considered as sure-fire options for a top-two role. Malick Meiga and Liam Clifford fit that bill.

Beyond that group, Jaden Dottin has played limitedly to date. Omari Evans could take a big step forward in year two after burning his redshirt, but time will tell. Anthony Ivey, Tyler Johnson, and Kaden Saunders all redshirted. And, Class of 2023 signee Carmelo Taylor is an interesting newcomer who will need to add size before being ready for Big Ten play.

“This is their opportunity to stay healthy, to compete their tails off, and really take it to that next level in order for us to use them the way they want to be used,” Stubblefield said.

In other words, a room that might be long on potential but is short on production is why reinforcements are both wanted and needed.

How will the Lions go about finding them?

Simply put, Penn State has sent out over 10 offers at the position so far. And, it isn’t likely to stop anytime soon. Or, at least not until its need is filled or its options are exhausted.

“In the transfer portal, it is different recruiting, because you may have somebody that does not have production in college, but you recruited [him] heavily in high school and you’re like, ‘you know what, I think this guy’s can be dynamic in our program,'” Stubblefield said. “And then there’s other guys that are productive at the college level. And you’re like, ‘we didn’t recruit this guy out of high school. But, you know what? Seeing what he’s doing on Saturday against some really good competition, we’re interested in him.’

“You do have to be aggressive. We want to be aggressive. I think everybody’s being aggressive across the nation in terms of guys, and need wide receivers. We’re being aggressive, but we’re also being smart.”

Penn State has frequently relied on past connections equaling future success. But, it cannot always assume that will work. Which is why Stubblefield and co., have fanned offers out to prospects all over the country. That’s so even if they didn’t have a relationship with the player in high school.

The ultimate goal is clear

Penn State wants to develop its current receivers into playmakers. But, it also wants to ensure its room is deep enough from top to bottom to compete in the Big Ten next season. So, as the march toward the spring semester continues, so, too, does the pursuit of pass catchers who can play for the Lions on Saturdays next fall.

“We plan on taking two,” Stubblefield said. “We took essentially five freshmen receivers last year. You have Parker going to the Draft. You have Mitch that we’re losing. So, we got a lot of young guys. We signed one in this class intentionally. We could have had multiple guys committed that are commited to some other schools right now, we could have had them committed in the summer, [but] we just didn’t think that they were right for us.

“So we feel like our best way to satisfy what our need is, which is probably a little bit of some older guys, is possibly going to the transfer portal and seeing who could help us win.”