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A look at Lions' 2019 WR group if Juwan Johnson transfers
By TYLER DONOHUE 114 minutes ago
Just 10 days removed from a Citrus Bowl appearance, Penn State has undergone swift changes in its receivers room.
Less than 24 hours after kickoff against Kentucky, the Nittany Lions
announced receivers coach David Corley had been relieved of his duties. The former Army assistant spent one season in State College and, to this point, his firing represents the only Penn State coaching staff change.
“I appreciate David’s efforts this season but feel it is in our program’s best interest to make a change at this time,” Penn State head coach
James Franklin said on Jan. 2 in a university-issued statement.
On Thursday afternoon,
Franklin supplied another statement, welcoming
Gerad Parker — a two-year member of the Duke offensive staff who previously spent four seasons at Purdue — in that role.
"He has a comprehensive background and knows the Big Ten," Franklin said. "He is a terrific fit for our staff, university and community. He has a great opportunity to come in and make a significant impact both on and off the field with a very talented position group!"
That position group is also in flux.
Senior
DeAndre Thompkins wrapped up his collegiate career in the Citrus Bowl, and Friday afternoon brought another substantial development.
Juwan Johnson, who earned his Penn State degree in December,
has entered the NCAA transfer portal and would be able to play elsewhere next season without sitting out.
A redshirt junior with one remaining season of college eligibility, Johnson is the latest player to adopt this approach. Those who submit their names into the portal open the potential for other college coaches to make contact, though this step does not ensure an athlete will leave their current school.
Top quarterback talents
Justin Fields (Georgia),
Jalen Hurts (Alabama) and
Tate Martell (Ohio State) recently landed in the spotlight for their portal entrees.
Johnson, who arrived in Happy Valley as a four-star prospect in 2015, has started 20 games since 2017, totaling 81 receptions for 1,123 yards and two touchdowns. Standing 6-foot-4, 225 pounds, he entered the 2018 season surrounded by intrigue as a potential breakout performer following the exit of leading Penn State pass targets
Saquon Barkley,
Mike Gesicki and
DaeSean Hamilton.
His six receptions in a Week One win over Appalachian State proved to be a season-best, and Johnson surpassed 60 receiving yards — 72 yards during the first half at Indiana was his top 2018 output — in only three contests. Johnson accomplished that feat on seven occasions in 2017, when he established personal-highs for catches (54) and yards (701), and caught a game-winning touchdown toss as time expired at Iowa.
Drops and injuries plagued Johnson in 2018, and he was limited to 352 yards and one score on 25 receptions in 10 matchups.
“(He) obviously faced a little bit of adversity this year,” Franklin said before the Citrus Bowl. “I think it's a positive. That's kind of how we view things like that. You embrace it. He's going to grow from this. He's going to learn from this, not only as a football player but as a man. It's no different than any other adversity or challenge you face — if you approach it with the right mindset, you'll grow from it. You'll probably grow more than you would through success or things going easy."
If Johnson does indeed depart the program, he will leave Penn State — at this stage — with eight scholarship receivers in 2019. Only one of them has participated in more than 13 college games and, even with his inconsistencies and three missed contests, Johnson tied for third (with Thompkins) among Nittany Lions in total catches.
As things stand now, here's a look at scholarship players set to fill the PSU receivers room moving forward.
JAHAN DOTSON
2019 Class: Sophomore
Hometown: Nazareth, Pa.
Size: 5-11, 169 pounds
Games Played: 8Career Starts: 4
Career Stats: 13 receptions, 203 yards, 0 TDs
Penn State coaches initially entered the season leaning toward a redshirt for
Jahan Dotson, though he warranted early praise throughout August camp. The former UCLA commit made his Nittany Lions debut Sept. 15 vs. Kent State but didn't see game action again until Oct. 20 at Indiana.
Dotson earned his first start Nov. 10 vs. Wisconsin and totaled a career-best 58 receiving yards the following week at Rutgers. He started the final four games of his true freshman campaign, and turned nine of 13 catches into first down pickups.
JOHN DUNMORE
2019 Class: True freshman
Hometown: Hollywood, Fla.
Size: 6-1, 180 pounds
Games Played: 0Career Starts: 0
Career Stats: 0
Miami made a late push to keep John Dunmore close to home but he opted to stick with a five-month commitment by signing with the Nittany Lions in December. Considered the No. 21 receiver recruit in 247Sports composite rankings, Dunmore started in the Under Armour All-America Game and remains Penn State's lone 2019 receiver recruit.
He collected 53 catches for 853 yards and eight touchdowns as a senior. Dunmore hauled in a touchdown reception during Chaminade-Madonna's state championship win, which was attended by Nittany Lions assistant Ja'Juan Seider.
DANIEL GEORGE
2019 Class: Redshirt freshman
Hometown: Fort Washington, Md.
Size: 6-2, 220 pounds
Games Played: 3Career Starts: 0
Career Stats: 2 receptions, 112 yards, 1 TD
Daniel George turned his first college catch (Sept. 15 vs. Kent State) into a Penn State record-setter. His 95-yard touchdown reception from quarterback Sean Clifford is the longest in school history.
George saw limited action the rest of the way, running routes at Indiana and gaining 17 yards on a pass vs. Maryland. He was twice recognized as the coaching staff's Scout Team Special Teams Player of the Week.
KJ HAMLER
2019 Class: Redshirt sophomore
Hometown: Pontiac, Mich.
Size: 5-9, 173 pounds
Games Played: 13Career Starts: 13
Career Stats: 42 receptions, 754 yards, 5 TDs
If Johnson is out of the equation, KJ Hamler — with one college season under his belt — suddenly becomes Penn State's most accomplished receiver in terms of statistics and games started. A scintillating playmaker who earned Freshman All-American honors at kick returner, he accounted for six total touchdowns (five receiving, one rushing) through his first six games and was named Big Ten Freshman of the Week after tallying 195 all-purpose yards and a 93-yard score against Ohio State.
Hamler didn't reach the end zone during the final seven contests, touching the ball on offense fewer than four times in three of the final five matchups. A passionate competitor, he vowed that Penn State receivers would return with more consistency in 2019 following a Citrus Bowl in which he caught one pass.
MAC HIPPENHAMMER
2019 Class: Redshirt sophomore
Hometown: Fort Wayne, Ind.
Size: 5-11, 177 pounds
Games Played: 12Career Starts: 1
Career Stats: 6 receptions, 103 yards, 1 TD
Mac Hippenhammer created some buzz in the 2018 Blue-White Game last April, catching a pair of touchdown passes. He reached the end zone for real in his second college appearance, targeted on an 11-yard scoring strike from Trace McSorley at Pittsburgh.
Hippenhammer, who is also a member of the Penn State baseball squad, collected half of his season reception total during an Oct. 13 loss to Michigan State. He didn't catch another pass in 2018, but did land in the starting lineup at Michigan.
BRANDON POLK
2019 Class: Redshirt senior
Hometown: Ashburn, Va.
Size: 5-9, 179 pounds
Games Played: 40Career Starts: 10
Career Stats: 27 receptions, 367 yards, 4 TDs
Brandon Polk saw his most extensive action in 2018, starting seven games. A former high school teammate of quarterback Trace McSorley, he didn't surpass two receptions in a single matchup, and a 55-yard effort against Kent State was his highest output.
Touchdown receptions in back-to-back contests (at Pittsburgh; vs. Kent State) created some early-season momentum but Polk struggled to secure pass targets and dealt with drop issues. He finished his redshirt junior campaign with nine catches for 162 yards and two scores, held without a reception during the final eight contests and supplanted in the starting lineup along the way.
JUSTIN SHORTER
2019 Class: Redshirt freshman
Hometown: Monmouth Junction, N.J.
Size: 6-4, 226 pounds
Games Played: 4Career Starts: 0
Career Stats: 3 receptions, 20 yards, 0 TDs
Considered the country's top overall 2018 receiver recruit, Justin Shorter became the highest-rated offensive prospect to sign with Penn State since 2005 (Derrick Williams). An undisclosed injury setback slowed his early development and, aside from a brief appearance vs. Kent State, he didn't run game routes until mid-November.
Shorter secured his first career catch, for three yards, against Wisconsin, and logged a nine-yard rush at Rutgers. He caught a pair of passes for 17 yards in the Citrus Bowl and, afterward, was pointed to by Trace McSorley and KJ Hamler as a fast-rising member of the offensive attack.
CAM SULLIVAN-BROWN
2019 Class: Redshirt sophomore
Hometown: Bowie, Md.
Size: 6-0, 188 pounds
Games Played: 13Career Starts: 1
Career Stats: 4 receptions, 49 yards, 0 TDs
Cam Sullivan-Brown reeled in his first college reception, for seven yards, against Michigan State. He then caught a pair of passes for 33 yards the next week at Indiana.
The remainder of his season was quiet from a production standpoint, though he did start at Rutgers. Sullivan-Brown recorded only one more reception (a nine-yard catch vs. Wisconsin) in the final six games.
INSIDE THE NUMBERS
Here's a look at career totals for scholarship Penn State receivers entering 2019 if Johnson is no longer on campus...
Games Played: 93; Polk leads with 40
Career Starts: 29; Hamler leads with 13
Career Stats: 97 receptions, 1,608 yards, 11
TDs; Hamler leads with 42-754-5
