Penn State football's wide receiver room hasn't been anything to rave about, but that doesn't mean there wasn't talent for the coaching staff to work with.
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At the 2026 NFL Scouting Combine, a former Nittany Lion spoke up about his past experience at Penn State as a wide receiver and how the lack of production motivated him.
Wide receiver Harrison Wallace III was a four-year Nittany Lion who redshirted his true freshman season. In 2024 when Penn State was one play away from a national championship appearance, he reigstered 46 catches for 720 yards and four touchdowns. During the semifinal game, however, not one receiver had a reception.
“It definitely added fuel to the fire,” Wallace said to reporters at the combine regarding the lack of wide receiver production in the Orange Bowl. “Definitely.”
Harrison Wallace’s final game at Penn State was the CFP seminal loss in which the WRs had zero catches.
— Johnny McGonigal (@jmcgonigal9) February 28, 2026
The constant chatter around that stat “added fuel to the fire” for Wallace.
“Every receiver that has ever gone through Penn State has had talent.”https://t.co/AQ1oz6IaLe pic.twitter.com/T4nu4Hvc70
Wallace got away from the Nittany Lions before their 2025 downfall. He took his talents elsewhere. At Ole Miss as a redshirt senior, he caught 61 passes for 934 yards and four touchdowns. The Rebels also fell in the semifinals of the College Football Playoff one year after Penn State.
According to Johnny McGonigal of PennLive, Wallace said Ole Miss gave him an opportunity to put stuff on tape that he couldn't with the Nittany Lions, even if he stayed in Happy Valley.
From the wide receiver room, Trebor Pena, who transferred to Penn State for his final collegiate season, led the team in receptions with 49 for 552 yards. Behind him was wide receiver Devonte Ross (36), tight end Luke Reynolds (26), running back Nicholas Singleton (24), and Kyron Hudson (23).
The wideouts and passing game as a whole fell flat in 2025 after Virginia Tech head coach James Franklin tried to mold the Nittany Lions' offensive identity into something it's not. Safe to say, that still would've been the case with Wallace on the team. His decision to transfer panned out in his favor.
In a loaded wide receiver class, though, he didn't crack into the top 30 at the combine. He ranked 35th in production with a score of 62, 39th in athleticism with a score of 66, and 43rd overall with a score of 59. He has a 5.88 prospect grade, which is labeled as "Average Backup or Special-Teamer."