Penn State hasn’t had a 1,000-yard season from a wide receiver since Jahan Dotson in 2021. The program’s struggles to develop a home-grown talent on the outside largely defined the end of the James Franklin era, particularly without a single wide receiver catching a pass in Penn State’s 2024 CFP semifinal loss to Notre Dame at the Orange Bowl.
Even with Matt Campbell taking over this offseason, those concerns haven’t completely dissipated. Campbell’s up-and-coming wide receiver coach, Noah Pauley, was plucked away from Happy Valley to join the Green Bay Packers, and though Chase Sowell and Brett Eskildsen came over from Iowa State, neither projects as a true ceiling-raiser for a Big Ten offense.
As they did last season with a veteran group of transfer pickups leading the way, Penn State fans' hopes for an elite talent at the position hinge on 2025 four-star Koby Howard. Those hopes didn’t come to fruition last year, as Howard was targeted just nine times (four in the Pinstripe Bowl win over Clemson) and finished with seven catches for 133 yards.
Now, even just one day into fall camp, the buzz around Howard is growing even louder. The breakout season becoming a reality, however, may be a bit more complicated than most fans realize.
Taylor Mouser’s tight end usage could make it harder for Koby Howard to see the field
If Penn State fans were frustrated with Howard’s lack of usage last season, they’d be livid to see him on the bench this year. All indications are that won’t be the case. Reports out of Penn State’s first open practice of fall camp on Wednesday point to Howard even potentially becoming quarterback Rocco Becht’s favorite target.
However, just because Becht is spamming Howard targets in fall camp doesn’t mean he’ll be WR1 when the regular season gets here. Campbell brought Becht’s top five leading receivers from last season with him to Happy Valley, so Becht, college football’s most experienced QB this year, could be working to build up chemistry with an unfamiliar pass-catcher, especially after Becht missed most of the spring.
In limited work, Howard has looked like the real deal. He has the speed to stretch the field vertically and the quickness to make defenders miss with the ball in his hands. However, at 5-foot-11, 203 pounds, with 6-foot-3 Chase Sowell and 6-foot-1 Brett Eskildsen, Howard’s likely role is in the slot.
That’s not to say he can’t play outside right now. His eventual trajectory will be to move to the outside. But for now, he’s projected as Penn State’s slot wide receiver, and with Taylor Mouser calling the plays and Penn State’s embarrassment of riches at tight end, that may not be a huge role.
Benjamin Brahmer could be Koby Howard’s primary competition for snaps
12 (1 running back, 2 tight ends) and 13 (1 RB, 3 TEs) personnel usage is up across college football over the past two years. Tempo has slowed, and defenses have gotten better at limiting explosive plays with two-deep safety looks and even three-safety structures, so offensive coordinators are attempting to force the issue with heavy personnel, daring defenses to put bigger bodies on the field and bring safeties into the box.
Mouser is even ahead of those rising usage rates. Last season, Iowa State tight ends accounted for 1,786 total snaps. Iowa State wide receivers played 1,633 total snaps. Iowa State’s third tight end, Tyler Moore, played nearly as many snaps (394) as Sowell, the team’s leading receiver (452). Benjamin Brahmer and Gabe Burkle both played more snaps than Sowell and Eskildsen.
That’s a rare level of tight end reliance, and it extends to slot usage, as Brahmer was the team’s primary slot option. With Brahmer, Burkle, and Andrew Rappleyea all at his disposal, there’s no reason to expect Mouser to change his philosophy.
In 2024, with one of the best wide receiver duos in the nation, Jayden Higgins and Jaylin Noel, who both became Day 2 NFL Draft picks, Mouser's usage was much different. Noel was the leader in the slot, and both cleared 1,000 receiving yards. Still, Burkle and Brahmer played significant roles, and even if Howard is the real deal, it's hard to argue that Penn State's wide receivers will be better than its tight ends.
That heavy personnel approach is probably what’s best for Penn State’s offense, especially with a deep stable of running backs, but it won’t be best for Howard, who not only needs to overtake Sowell and Eskildsen for targets but also has to contend with one of the nation’s best tight end trios for snaps.
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