Look I don’t necessarily think even Brian Hartline could turn Penn State into a WR paradise. It’s really rooted in the programs DNA. Blue collar. Old school. Get the best running backs in the region , get the best big fellas up front , throw in a talented tight end that can block and catch and play elite defense. Yes here and there you saw the random blip of a star QB throwing dots to talented wrs but for the most part PSU has never really been a wr destination. Fact is the college game has evolved similar to the NFL but not as nearly as aggressively. You do need to possess the ability to throw the ball but you can definitely still win with running the ball and playing stellar D. The issue has been we haven’t had wrs with that ability. Wallace is much better than this fanbase gives him credit for but if he is your go to WR1 you have issues. He was last year and well ….We had issues. With Drew at QB or even in the future with Grunk who I firmly believe in and in some regards feel like will be even more successful within this offense , all we need is a few wrs that can get open and catch the football. If we can’t get a true WR1 , then the next best thing is getting a bunch of 2s. This year I believe that’s what we have. Hudson. Ross. Denmark. Fine number 2s. People forget , Denmark was committed and ready to pack his bags for Eugene and be an Oregon Duck before flipping to Penn State. This isn’t some flash in the pan or unheard of commodity. He’s a very talented prospect. So that segues into the title of my thread. I feel like Hagans has Penn State in a pretty good position. I know , I know, they have to go out and prove it and they really won’t be able to do so until the Oregon game which is months away but hear me out. When Coach Franklin decided to fire Taylor Stubblefield back in the beginning 2023 Penn State not only didn’t have much at the starting WR positions but they were baron with promising prospects of the future. Marques Hagans came into a horrible mess and right away went to work. First objective was going out and grabbing the big strong WR out of Central Catholic , Pittsburgh native Peter Gonzalez. Remember before he was injured in camp , insiders were predicting he could make an impact as a true freshman. Second move came in the signing of Malverne NY track star Josiah Brown. Finally one month later , he decided on flipping Philly native Tyseer Denmark and keeping him from leaving the state. Julian Fleming was later added in the portal and let’s face it , Penn State isn’t in the CFB without his USC heroics. 2025 was even better. Adding to Denmark , Gonzalez , and Brown , Hagans has brought in 4 freshman into the wr room. Matthew Outten is a 4 star who was committed to Virginia Tech. He has the body and the god given ability as an athlete . Now he just needs to sharpen up his routes and learn how to play wr more. He has through the roof potential. Lyrick Samuel is your more traditional tall lanky wr who has already put on 20 lbs and in my opinion is going to be a future contributor. Koby Howard overall is the best of the four. He has the strength, speed, and technique to be an instant difference maker. This is a kid who had offers everywhere , including Miami , until he broke his leg. Once he came back from injury he decided to stick with Penn State since they were the program to show him the most support during his rehab. Finally you have the wildcard in Jeff Exinor jr. Freakish athlete , 6’2 220 and a star according to On3 who has him as the 49th best WR of the class. Four really intriguing prospects added to the three he had year 1. Bringing in Ross and Hudson shouldn’t be overlooked either and it looks like they aren’t don’t trying to add to this room still. Now the 2026 class , although it’s early , this might yield his best prospect of them all. Jahsiear Rogers is a bonafide stud. Period. I put his ceiling higher than any PSU wr I have seen come here in the last decade. He has everything you want in a prospect and already has the route tree to go along with elite skill. Lavar Keys reminds me of KJ Hamler 2.0. They will most likely add at least 1 more prospect to this group too. I know it’s early. I know they have to go prove it. But this is the most excited I have been for this position in years. So I know it’s still early , but dare I say? Hagans can stay.
