The Penn State Receiving Corps Is Getting Thin

Penn State Has Seen a Large Exodus

The loss of Carmelo Taylor represents the 13th scholarship player to leave the Nittany Lion program. The number is considerable but certainly not unusual in the current football landscape. However, what has been unusual is how the hits have been concentrated on their receiving corp. And though they did bring in some impressive talent to catch the ball, it may not be enough to overcome these heavy losses to the portal.

The Talent Will Be Difficult to Replace

Along with Taylor, the Nittany Lions recently found out that they would be without the services of, KeAndre Lambert-Smith, Cristian Driver, and Malik Meiga. Lambert-Smith is a particularly significant loss for Penn State as he led the team with 53 receptions and was most certainly their most dependable threat for mid-range receptions. In addition, he was also consistent, having nabbed 126 catches over his career.

Though the other receiver losses were not as prominent as Lambert-Smith’s, they still represent some significant talent. Christian Driver was a former four-star recruit who had exceptional speed and though did not have much playing time last season, did show promise. Malik Meiga, though not getting a great deal of playing time in 2023, will be missed because his six-foot-four frame made him one of the biggest targets in the conference and many thought he would play a more prominent role this upcoming season.

Carmelo Taylor came in as one of the most sought after receivers in the country, and was ranked 28th nationally by 24/7 Sports. The Penn State staff was high on Taylor and felt that after red-shirting his freshman season, he was ready to make significant gains and be a consistent target for Drew Allar. Yet now, with his and his fellow former teammates’ departures, the Nittany Lions will have to depend on incoming athletes to fill the holes.

Who They Will Be Counting On

Penn State has a plethora of wide receivers that remain on their roster, including Liam Clifford, Julian Fleming, Omari Evans,  Kaden Saunders, Harrison Wallace, Tyler Johnson, Anthony Ivey, Josiah Brown, Logan Cunningham, Ethan Black, Feyisayo Oluleye, Jake Spencer, and Jason Estrella. However, of that impressive list, only Fleming recorded a significant amount of catches with 26 last season, netting about 270 yards. Four of the above names did not have any playing time at all, three were on the developmental squad, and one of those players had only a single reception. In addition, just two other players had receptions in the double-digits.

Will Incoming Recruits Help?

The Nittany Lions have three incoming freshman wide receivers joining the program, Josiah Brown, Peter Gonzalez, and Tyler Denmark, all three-star recruits. Though each of these incoming players is talented, whether or not they will be able to make an impact is yet to be seen. This has led to many looking towards the Nittany Lion’s transfer addition, Julian Fleming.

Fleming is a former five-star recruit who was ranked the number one receiver in his class and the number four player nationally when he joined Ohio State. Many were surprised when he entered the transfer portal the same week as his former Buckeye teammate Kyle McCord.  As one of the top targets for Ohio State, Fleming had 60 receptions over his last two seasons, averaging 15.7 yards and 10.4. yards respectively.  Yet, though he amassed over 800 total reception yards, he only found the end zone six times.  There is no doubt that Fleming is an extremely talented receiver, but whether he meshes with the Nittany Lion offense and Drew Allar is a question that is still up in the air.