Penn State WR Kaden Saunders uncertain for West Virginia with ‘bumps and bruises’

Any talk of a Kaden Saunders breakout for Penn State Football in 2024 might have to go on ice for now.

Penn State coach James Franklin said at his Monday news conference that the redshirt sophomore wide receiver is dealing with “bumps and bruises” and his status is uncertain for Saturday’s matchup at West Virginia. The Lions and Mountaineers are due for a noon ET kickoff in Morgantown.

“Kaden has some bumps and bruises that he has missed some time, and we are working through that right now,” Franklin told reporters. “Obviously, we’re hopeful that he’ll be able to go this week and be full go and be able to factor in for us.”

The West Virginia game is a big first showing for a Penn State position group under scrutiny after prolonged issues on the recruiting trail, in the development department, and on the field.

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Where Things Stand for Penn State Football at WR

The process of righting those wrongs continues through the start of the 2024 season with hopes that Julian Fleming provides a stable veteran presence and some combination of Saunders, Liam Clifford, Omari Evans, Harrison Wallace III, and others can take big steps forward in their development.

Leading receiver KeAndre Lambert-Smith opted to transfer, and the next three players on the list of top receivers were tight ends Tyler Warren and Theo Johnson and running back Nick Singleton. Wallace is the team’s top returning receiver with 19 catches for 228 yards and a touchdown in eight games.

Just after giving the update on Saunders, Franklin was asked more directly about the position group and he was clear that the depth chart will remain a work in progress through the early part of the season.

“That’s a critical group for us,” he said. “I would like it to be for Game 1, but the reality is even if it could be, for some of those guys in Game 3, Game 4, Game 5, and that’s the big discussion we had this morning as a staff. We’ve got to identify guys we say, ‘OK, they may be not ready for whatever reason, physically, mentally, emotionally, today, but these guys, we need them to be ready by Game 5 of the season.”

Saunders has a chance to see a much bigger role in a new-look offense run by first-year coordinator Andy Kotelnicki. When healthy, Saunders could be an impact performer out of the slot, as well as in the punt return game.

The former four-star prospect from Ohio caught six passes for 56 yards and a touchdown and returned 14 punts for 86 yards (6.1 ypr).

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