Penn State Football has been on a roll on the recruiting trail for almost three years now, but one position seems to be lacking behind the others.
That position is wide receiver, a critical position in the college game.
The Nittany Lions have produced a few notable talents at wide receiver over the past few years, including 2022 first pick Jahan Dotson, but the production hasn’t exactly led to a bump in recruiting.
That fact seems to be a reason why wide receivers coach Taylor Stubblefield was let go after the season.
The Nittany Lions also had to take to the transfer portal and land both Dante Cephas and Malik McClain because the staff was not confident in the group it had in house. The lack of recruiting success was the reason these moves had to be made.
Now, new position coach Marques Hagans needs to steady the ship when it comes to recruiting.
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How Penn State Football Improves WR Recruiting
The next two months will be crucial for Hagans, as the official visit window opens in June.
The majority of the Nittany Lions’ top targets will be on campus for a visit at some point in the month.
One of those top targets is 4-star wide receiver Nick Marsh. The former Michigan State commit is set to take an official visit to Happy Valley on June 9. A top 100 recruit, Marsh would be the highest rated wide receiver brought in by Penn State since Kaden Saunders in the 2022 class.
Moving down the board a bit, there are multiple regional blue-chip recruits to keep an eye on.
The first is 4-star Keylen Adams from Virginia.
Penn State cleaned house in Virginia in the 2023 cycle and it is back for more in 2024. Hagans also was the wide receivers coach at Virginia before coming to Penn State, so he also has ties to the region. Adams received some big-time offers, including Ohio State and Georgia, so his recruitment will be a battle.
Josiah Brown, a 4-star athlete from New York is another name to know. While he could also end up at safety, Brown is a prime target at wide receiver. He currently does not have any official visits set, but the Nittany Lions should receive one if he chooses to use them.
Another regional recruit is 6-foot-2 4-star Jaylan Hornsby from Camden, NJ. Hornsby currently has official visits set up to Rutgers and Texas A&M, but the Nittany Lions are the current leader on the 247 Sports crystal ball. The other guys may be ahead of Hornsby, but Penn State will need to keep its options open.
Hagans needs instant success to show he’s the man for the job and this cycle is a tough first test. Landing Marsh and then a couple of the other top targets will silence the doubters quickly. That’s not an easy ask, but the wide receiver recruiting needs to catch up with the other positions, and soon.
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