Koby Howard arrived in Happy Valley as a four-star recruit in James Franklin’s 2025 recruiting class, and quickly stood out amongst what proved to be an underwhelming group of wide receivers in his first preseason. However, for all the buzz he generated, James Franklin, Terry Smith, and now-former offensive coordinator Andy Kotelnicki left him buried on the depth chart.
Then, Howard stuck around this offseason through the transition from Franklin to Matt Campbell and generated similar buzz in his second fall camp. Only this time, as a redshirt freshman, it seems Howard is ready to deliver on that promise and potentially be the most dynamic wide receiver in State College since Jahan Dotson in 2021.
Last season, Howard caught seven passes for 133 yards. In Week 1 of the 2026 season, the electric 5-foot-11, 203-pound Florida native hauled in six passes for 161 yards and a touchdown, dominating from the slot and outside and giving Penn State fans hope that they finally have a difference-maker on the outside in the team's 45-0 win.
Koby Howard is WR1 in a pass-catching group filled with Rocco Becht’s old friends
This year at Big Ten Media Days, Rocco Becht told reporters that he hoped to “get him over 1,000 yards receiving” this season, Becht’s final in college. Howard is well on pace for that after Week 1, and more importantly, he’s proven that Becht’s talk about Howard becoming the go-to target in this offense wasn’t just lip service.
When Becht transferred from Iowa State this offseason, Campbell, general manager Derek Hoodjer, and offensive coordinator Taylor Mouser made sure that he had familiar weapons with him for his fourth season as their starting QB. Iowa State’s five leaders in receiving yards from 2025 all transferred to Penn State: Chase Sowell, Brett Eskildsen, Benjamin Brahmer, Gabe Burkle, and Carson Hansen. Yet, it’s Howard who emerged as Becht’s No. 1 option, and that’s a good thing.
Howard is dynamic with the ball in his hands, difficult to bring down after the catch, but he’s not just a shifty slot receiver. He can stretch the field, he can make contested catches, and he can slide outside so he isn’t reliant on Mouser, who loves to use multiple tight ends, playing more 11 personnel than he’d prefer.
Those who doubted Penn State in Campbell's first year often refer to this team as Iowa State East because of how many former Cyclones left Ames for Happy Valley. They rightfully questioned how an Iowa State team that went 8-4 in the Big 12 could compete for a College Football Playoff bid in the Big Ten. A soft schedule helps, but so does the fact that this isn’t just Iowa State East; it’s an amalgamation of Cyclones, Nittany Lions, and outside transfers.
That’s how it can compete in the Big Ten. Players like Koby Howard, Tony Rojas, Yvan Kemajou, Daryus Dixson, and so many other former top recruits under Franklin give the Nittany Lions a much higher ceiling than Campbell’s teams in Ames ever had. And as frustrating as it was to start last season, and even after Terry Smith took over, Penn State fans may have that old coaching staff to thank for Howard still being in Happy Valley and not Blacksburg, Virginia.
James Franklin burying Koby Howard last year was all worth it
Had Franklin played Howard early in his true freshman season, he may have been the best wide receiver on a team that brought in three senior transfers: Trebor Pena, Devonte Ross, and Kyron Hudson. He may have tipped the scales in the close losses that doomed Franklin, and even if he hadn’t, his loyalties may have lain more with Franklin than with Penn State.
Even if a great freshman year from Howard wouldn’t have led him to Virginia Tech, where Franklin is now the head coach, it could have raised his stock enough for a different program to lure him into the transfer portal. Instead, a year of frustration watching him waste away on the sidelines kept Howard at Penn State, and after that performance, it was worth the annoyance.
Add us as a preferred source on Google