Three Penn State returnees pick new numbers ahead of 2023 season
Three Penn State returners will wear new jersey numbers in 2023. Two of them are receivers, and the third is a defensive end.
Junior receiver Malick Meiga will now wear No. 4. Previously, he was No. 80. He will be the first Lions receiver to wear No. 4 since Shawney Kersey did in 2010. The last player on offense who played with a four on his back was Journey Brown. Meiga is hoping to step into a bigger role this season as the receivers room deals with some turnover at the top.
“For me, I’m expecting a big year,” Meiga told reporters this spring. “Just keep working, keep working. It is all about the work. So keep your head down, keep working, and a breakthrough is coming soon.”
Fellow receiver Cristian Driver will now wear the No. 80 jersey. The second-year Penn State player from Flower Mound, Tex., previously wore No. 13. His need to change numbers was necessitated by his move from defense, which he played last season, to offense this offseason. If he did not pick a new jersey, he and running back Kaytron Allen could not have been on the field at the same time.
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“Pretty much [the plan] was to finish the season at corner and then make the transition to receiver for next season,” Driver told BWI this spring. “For me, I just feel more confident at that position. I feel more comfortable playing that position. Of course my dad played that position. Coach Franklin coached my dad at that position, so I think I’ve been able to and I can pick up great knowledge from both of them.”
Last but not least, defensive end Amin Vanover is now No. 15. Previously, he was No. 56.
Penn State newcomers get their jersey numbers, too
As BWI’s Nate Bauer reported on Monday, the newest Nittany Lions have now been assigned jersey numbers. That group includes all of the incoming transfers plus just-arrived members from the Penn State Class of 2023. Here’s the rundown for that group:
Transfers
3 – Dante Cephas – Wide Receiver – 6-foot, 180 pounds
23 – Trey Potts – Running Back – 5-foot-9, 215 pounds
29 – Audavion Collins – Cornerback – 5-foot-11, 175 pounds
50 – Alonzo Ford Jr. – Defensive Tackle – 6-foot-2, 280 pounds
79 – Addison Penn – Offensive Line – 6-foot-2, 310 pounds
Class of 2023 summer arrivals
8 – DaKaari Nelson – Safety – 6-foot-3, 200 pounds
9 – King Mack – Safety – 5-foot-10, 175 pounds
24 – London Montgomery – Running Back – 5-foot-10, 180 pounds
26 – Cameron Wallace – Running Back – 5-foot-9, 175 pounds
39 – Ty Blanding – Defensive Tackle – 6-foot-1, 265 pounds
48 – Kaveion Keys – Linebacker – 6-foot-2, 195 pounds
56 – Joseph Mupoyi – Defensive End – 6-foot-5, 240 pounds
87 – Andrew Rappleyea – Tight End – 6-foot-4, 235 pounds
