Penn State WR Group On the Rise with Trey Wallace Breakout and 4-Star Flip

As sports movie quotes go, the image of manager Lou Brown in “Major League” standing in front of his team, explaining the definition of a winning streak should resonate with Penn State Football fans hoping for better wide receiver play.

The whole group from coaching staff to veterans and young players has seen precious few wins in the past five-plus years of the James Franklin Era.

For Penn State to string two of them together in the first 48 hours of the 2024 season was a culture shock, too.

First, it was Trey Wallace going off for 5-117-2 against West Virginia, and then came the flip of 4-star wideout/defensive back Matthew Outten from Virginia Tech.

“If we win today, it’s called ‘two in a row,’” Brown explained to his fictional Cleveland Indians. “And if we win again tomorrow, it’s called a ‘winning streak.’”

The next such win could be another promising development from either Wallace or any other wide receiver. Omari Evans, Kaden Saunders, Liam Clifford, even Julian Fleming and a host of others could generate good faith for themselves and the group with big days Saturday against Bowling Green.

Wallace looked the part of a true No. 1 wide receiver with size and speed, which proved too much for the Mountaineers. The emergence of a key sidekick might be the next frontier for the PSU offense.

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Why Matthew Outten Flip Could be Transformative for Penn State’s Future at WR

Penn State Football, James Franklin — Aug 31, 2024; Morgantown, West Virginia, USA; Penn State Nittany Lions head coach James Franklin talks to a referee during the first quarter against the West Virginia Mountaineers at Mountaineer Field at Milan Puskar Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Ben Queen-USA TODAY Sports

On the recruiting trail, Penn State Football can still afford to climb to another tier of prospects.

Outten is a good first step in that direction as the No. 5 wide receiver and No. 139 player nationally in the 247Sports composite rankings. The newest future Lion is a senior from I.C. Norcom in Portsmouth, Va. listed at 6-feet, 200 pounds.

Whether coincidence or not, Outten’s style of physical traits looks perhaps more like Wallace than any player in the current Penn State wide receivers room.

Outten runs with authority and physicality and even wears the same No. 6 jersey, which smaller defensive backs often see clearly as he runs away from them.

Penn State couldn’t have asked for more from Wallace in his bid to take his game to the next level. So, surely Franklin and his staff wouldn’t mind the chance to develop the NEXT Trey Wallace with Outten’s size, speed and athleticism.