Penn State Football: 3 reasons to be optimistic about the wide receivers in 2023

Veteran Leadership

The vast majority of Penn State’s 2023 receiver group will be made up of underclassmen, but four upper classmen will lead the way.

That group includes senior KeAndre Lambert-Smith, redshirt sophomore Harrison Wallace and the two transfers Cephas (5th year) and McClain (junior).

These four will likely be the security blankets for Allar early in the season as he settles into the starting role.

Lambert-Smith has played in 32 career games over his three-year career with Penn State football. He has 73 catches for 1,048 yards and seven touchdowns in his career. Wallace saw his first action in 2022, appearing in all 13 games and catching 19 passes for 273 yards and a touchdown.

While this experience did not come at Penn State, Cephas is the most experienced receiver on the roster in 2023. He appeared in 38 games in four years at Kent State and caught 145 passes for 2,139 yards and 12 touchdowns in that time. McClain rounds out the group with 24 career games played in and 33 catches for 396 yards and five touchdowns.

The numbers are not eye popping by any means, but having four guys who are entering at least their third year in college is big not only for Allar but also from a leadership standpoint in what is a young wide receiver group that currently does not have a position coach.