James Franklin can't afford to worry about redshirts if a young receiver can help this team

During Penn State fall camp, freshman wide receiver Tyseer Denmark was generating real buzz around the program as a potential impact player in his first season in Happy Valley. However, the 2024 three-star recruit from Imhotep Charter in Philadelphia has played just 17 snaps this season, all against Kent State, and has made only one catch for 13 yards. 

Now, after Penn State wide receivers combined for three total catches in a 20-13 loss to Ohio State without an offensive touchdown, his name is popping back up as a potential solution to the Nittany Lion’s lack of weapons on offense. Franklin was asked about Denmark’s continued development during his Wednesday media availability. 

“As you guys know, there was a lot of excitement about him early in camp, and I think there still is,” Franklin told reporters. “I think we’ve got to a point during the season that we want to make sure, unless there’s health reasons, that at this point, this season, that we’re being strategic about redshirts and those types of things, so that we don’t burn a year this late. But he’s a guy that I do think you’ll see this year.”

Denmark (and all players in college football) are allowed to play in up to four games without sacrificing their redshirt. So far, Luke Reynolds, Cooper Cousins, and Dejuan Lane are the only members of Penn State’s 2024 recruiting class to exceed the four-game threshold. 

It’s wise for Franklin to prioritize long-term development for his freshman classes because in almost all cases, a player will be more impactful in their fifth year of college football than their first. Players like Cousins, a five-star interior offensive lineman, likely won’t need five years before bolting for the NFL, and Reynolds and Lane have been elevated by injuries to tight end Andrew Rappleyea and safety Kevin Winston Jr. Without an injury to his receiving corps, Franklin has been hesitant to work his freshman onto the field, but even with full health, the situation is perhaps even more dire at wide receiver than it ever was at tight end or safety. 

The long-term stability of the program is always a priority, but not at the expense of this season when your former five-star quarterback is playing excellent football in his junior season and has you in contention for a spot in the 12-team College Football Playoff. Drew Allar needs more dynamic pass catchers for this team to reach its ceiling, which could potentially be the national championship, and if Denmark can help that cause, the present should take precedence over the future. 

As a freshman, the 5-foot-10 187-pound slot receiver won’t be a game-breaker, but if he can get open more than Liam Clifford, who was completely shut out by Ohio State’s defensive backs, he should be on the field. Franklin is under contract through the 2031 season, but without a win over Ohio State or a Big Ten title since 2016, and with no CFP appearances on his resume, the 11th-year head coach of the Nittany Lions won’t have the luxury of planning for 2028 when Denmark would be a redshirt senior if he doesn’t start to deliver on the biggest stages soon. 

After this season, while it’s relatively unlikely, Allar could head for the NFL, tight end Tyler Warren will, and on the defensive side of the ball, Abdul Carter will follow his upper-classmen teammate. Even with questions at wide receiver, this team may be Franklin’s most talented since 2016 or ‘17 with Trace McSorley and Saquon Barkley, so he needs to capitalize on this opportunity. 

Maybe Denmark simply isn’t ready to contribute in Big Ten play, but if he’s one of Franklin’s four best options at wide receiver, he belongs on the field for the next four games and potentially beyond. If Penn State wins out and finishes 11-1, the Nittany Lions are in the CFP, and they can likely accomplish that without Denmark's help. They are a two-touchdown favorite this Saturday against 5-4 Washington and will be favored on the road at Purdue and Minnesota, and at home for the regular season finale against Maryland.

However, Andy Kotelnicki's offense was borderline non-functional against Ohio State's elite athletes in the secondary, and if Denmark doesn't play down the stretch of the regular season to get adjusted to the speed of high-level college football, he won't be ready to help this team in a first-round CFP game against another national title contender. Franklin should see what he has in his talented freshman over the next four games and hope he can improve the passing game come the first-round of the CFP.