Penn State Football 2018: Three Nittany Lions to Watch Against Michigan State

WR – KJ Hamler

I feel as though all of the superlatives for this freshman phenom have already been used.  He has been nothing short of tremendous, taking over a the slot receiver position from DaeSean Hamilton ,who graduated this past spring.  Hamler has been a game-changer dating back to the opening weekend when he helped rally the Lions to a come-from-behind win against Appalachian State.

Against Ohio State Hamler was far-and-away the team’s leading receiver, hauling in four passes for 138 yards, including a 93-yard quick slant TD scamper mid way through the second quarter.  For his efforts, Hamler was named the Big Ten freshman player of the week last week.

Hamler is so athletic and dynamic that coach Franklin can employ him in so many ways such as kick off returner, punt returner, and can even use him as running back in jet sweep packages (just ask Pitt).  He has also become one of quarterback Trace McSorley’s favorite passing targets. In five games, Hamler has racked up a team-leading 308 receiving yards and scored four touchdowns.

There was an obvious void in the Penn State offense when Hamler left the Ohio State game after absorbing a concussing blow from a Buckeyes defender.  Hamler was spotted this week holding his helmet as the rest of the varsity squad was doing conditioning drills.  When asked about Hamler’s availability for this week’s contest, Franklin succinctly replied “yeah” during his weekly press conference.

Besides Trace McSorley and possibly running back Miles Sanders, wide receiver KJ Hamler has to be considered one of the team’s MVPs at the mid-point of the season.  His return this weekend will force the Spartans to extend their already Big Ten-worst pass defense (305.2 passing yards per game). This weekend, keep your eye on how the Lions bring Hamler back into the fold.  Will he play his normal snaps? Will he still return kicks? All factors to watch on Saturday.