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What Penn State Football can expect from heralded early enrollees

By Nick Kreiser

Medina quarterback Drew Allar passes against Lakewood St. Edward in Div. I regional football final at Byers Field at Robert Boulton Stadium in Parma.Medina lost to St. Edward 41 to 6.Medinafb 11 21 15
Medina quarterback Drew Allar passes against Lakewood St. Edward in Div. I regional football final at Byers Field at Robert Boulton Stadium in Parma.Medina lost to St. Edward 41 to 6.Medinafb 11 21 15 /
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Penn State Football
Kaden Saunders, a Penn State signee, was first-team all-state and all-district and co-Offensive Player of the Year in the OCC-Capital after catching 37 passes for 362 yards and five touchdowns. /

Penn State Football wide receiver – Kaden Saunders

James Franklin and his staff were able to steal one of the top wide receivers in the country out of Ryan Day’s backyard, and Kaden Saunders has all the makings to be a threat to opposing defenses for years to come.

He has speed, quickness, and just great all-around athleticism that will make him difficult to defend both before and after the catch. However, he needs to “get stronger and add weight”, according to Allen Trieu of 247 Sports, which he can begin to do under Chuck Losey over the course of the spring semester.

At 5-foot-10, Saunders is best suited to play in the slot, which is where Parker Washington will play in 2022, so the true freshman probably won’t be a starter at wide receiver this fall. However, he will certainly be ready to play in some capacity this season, especially since he enrolled early, so he will provide some excellent depth to the wide receiver room, allowing them to stay fresh and rotate guys through, as opposed to primarily sticking with the three starters, like they did in 2021.

Saunders’ ability to make defenders miss with the ball in his hands allows him to be an excellent returner, so he might be able to earn one of those roles for the upcoming season.

Any new receiver at any level needs to develop chemistry and timing with their quarterbacks, and this extra time will be great in that regard too, both for Saunders and the quarterbacks.

He is already very close to being game-ready for Big Ten football coming out of high school, so being able to get into the program early and fine-tune his game gives him a great chance to make an immediate impact as a true freshman, which would be great for both himself and the team.

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