Penn State’s perfect wide receiver target plans to enter the transfer portal

The college football regular season has come to an end and while the transfer portal doesn’t officially open until Monday, December 9, plenty of players have already announced their intentions to enter the portal and seek new opportunities. One of those players who made his splashy announcement on Sunday is NC State sophomore wide receiver Kevin Concepcion, who could be the perfect fit for Penn State. 

There is a chance that Penn State offensive coordinator Andy Kotelnicki takes a head coaching job this offseason and that Drew Allar heads for the NFL after a run through the College Football Playoff, but regardless of what those two foundation pieces decide to do, James Franklin’s team will still need talent at wide receiver to contend for another CFP appearance and Big Ten title in 2025. 

The Nittany Lions have struggled at the position this season and aside from Harrison Wallace III, don’t have another wide receiver with 20 catches. Tight end Tyler Warren has emerged as a dominant force, leading the team with 81 grabs for 978 yards and six touchdowns, but the redshirt senior will head for professional football this spring, leaving a massive void on that side of the ball in Happy Valley. Wide receiver has been a big focus in recruiting, but more importantly, it is the No. 1 portal priority for Franklin and his staff. While there will be plenty of big names searching for new homes, there may not be a better fit for Penn State than Concepcion. 

NC State lost starting quarterback Grayson McCall early in 2024, so as a sophomore, Concepcion struggled compared to his breakout freshman year. Yet, he still caught 53 passes for 460 yards and six touchdowns with another two scores on the ground. At 5-foot-11 and 187 pounds, “KC” primarily works out of the slot and is a yards after the catch machine. He cleared 1,000 all-purpose yards as a freshman despite an average depth of target of just 8.5, with 527 yac and another 320 yards on 41 carries. 

An unconventional Tyler Warren replacement

In Kotelnicki’s offense, Warren has been the do-it-all star, and that’s virtually impossible to replace. Penn State’s superstar tight end has thrown passes, and Concepcion won’t do that, but he can provide an additional threat as a runner on jet sweeps or straight handoffs out of the backfield. Warren provides so much value in the ground game and Concepcion won’t be a perfect fit because he’s not a big body for short-yard plays, but he’s the consistent easy-button that Allar, Pribula, or even Ethan Grunkemeyer will need next season, or potentially beyond. 

The Nittany Lions must find a field stretcher who can threaten a defense vertically this offseason. Omari Evans has flashed potential in that role, but somebody who can consistently win down the sidelines with speed and at the catch-point with athleticism and physicality will raise the ceiling of the offense. That’s not Concepcion’s game, but he is the type of player who will ensure that the floor doesn’t fall out with Warren gone, and that might be even more important. 

It’s not just the 81 catches that will be gone when Warren becomes a first or second-round pick this offseason, he represents nearly a third of Penn State’s targets. There aren’t many players who can handle that type of volume in the passing game, but Concepcion, who works close to the line of scrimmage and routinely turns a three-yard pass into an eight-yard gain, can. Former five-star Luke Reynolds will become TE1 as a sophomore next season, but Concepcion would make a much more suitable, and reliable, security blanket in Happy Valley. 

The Charlotte North Carolina native may not be looking to head north into Big Ten country, but whatever NIL resources Franklin has accumulated, he should be willing to spend to attract Concepcion, because there isn’t a receiver of his caliber on Penn State’s current roster and won’t be next season unless he’s plucked out of the portal.