With preseason camp underway, the Penn State Football has a strong team; but head coach James Franklin and his staff have a few things they need to figure out before the season starts.

The Nittany Lions have to figure out which wide receivers will get most of the playing time, and who will stand out in the kicker and punter competition.

KeAndre Lambert-Smith is expected to lead the receiving core; he had 24 catches for 369 yards, and four touchdowns last season. Also returning will be Harrison Wallace, who produced 19 catches for 273 yards and one touchdown during the 2022 campaign.

But, transfers Dante Cephas and Malik McClain will have something to say about playing time.

Cephas has twice earned All-MAC honors. During his redshirt sophomore season, Cephas played in 14 games and had 82 receptions for 1240 yards and nine touchdowns.

Last season, Cephas caught 48 passes for 744 yards and three touchdowns in nine games. Cephas averaged 15.1 yards per reception in 2021 and 15.5 in 2022 and proved to be an effective deep threat that could help the Penn State offense.

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Meanwhile, at 6-foot-4 and 202 pounds, McClain will add size to the Nittany Lions’ receiving core.

McClain was a four-star recruit coming from Florida State. Last year for the Seminoles, McClain caught 17 passes for 206 yards and three touchdowns.

McClain could be very effective in the red zone.

Special teams is another position that we need to keep an eye on in fall camp.

The Nittany Lions will replace their kicker, punter, and long snapper from the 2022 season.

Penn State Football will look for Alex Felkins and Sander Sahaydak to compete for the starting kicker job.

Meanwhile, Riley Thompson and Alex Bacchetta will compete for the punter job, and it’s Tyler Duzansky’s job to lose at long snapper.

Special teams are important in tight games; many games could come down to field goals or field position battles.

With Franklin and staff leading Penn State Football back onto the field for training camp, solidifying special teams and the wide receiver depth chart should rank high on the program’s priority list.

 

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