Pro Football Focus writeups on young PSU players at the end of last season.
Pat Freiermuth – PFF Grade 64.8
The big-bodied tight end leads the team in touchdown catches with six, and is second on the team with 38 targets. He also has the highest passer rating when targeted at 123.1 this season. Freiermuth has hit a bit of a freshman wall the past month, with three sub 60.0 grades vs Iowa, Wisconsin and Rutgers, but still came through with two touchdown catches in his most recent outing. He’s been a capable blocker as well, posting run and pass blocking grades for the season that are just shy of 70.
KJ Hamler – PFF Grade 73.1
Penn State’s highest-graded pass-catchers are all freshmen or redshirt freshmen, starting with Hamler who has quickly taken over as the lead receiver for the Nittany Lions and leads the team with 65 targets and 624 yards. He has 300 yards more than the next closest receiver on the team (who is also a freshman). Despite his size, Hamler is a tough receiver that has caught 19 of his passes and three touchdowns over the middle this season.
Promising stars in limited action
Justin Shorter – Shorter is a former five-star recruit that was hurt in camp and had some setbacks early in the season. He’s played 40 snaps so far this season.
Daniel George – Has only played in two games this year but will see time in the next two (including the bowl game) as a part of the new redshirt rule. He’s a physically impressive receiver who has shown massive amounts of potential. He already has the longest catch in Penn State history under his belt.
Sean Clifford – Clifford has had ‘wow’ moments while in games going back to the spring game. It’s way too early to tell and his sample size is too small, but he also has a 94.0 passer rating in three games of action. Clifford has yet to throw an incompletion in college (5-of-5) and two touchdowns.
Micah Parsons – PFF Grade 74.0
Despite a position switch from high school to his time at Penn State, his tackling and run defense have been his strengths this season. He has missed two tackles all season long and has the best tackling efficiency of any linebacker this year for Penn State at 20.5.
His run-stop percentage of 13.5% is best in the Big Ten among linebackers and is top 15 in the nation.
Tariq Castro Fields – PFF Grade 72.1
Castro-Fields filled in for the injured John Reid for the first part of the season admirably and has gone back into a rotational role at corner for the Nittany Lions. He hasn’t allowed a touchdown this year and has a rating of 62.2 when targeted this season.
Yetur Gross-Matos – PFF Grade 72.3
The sophomore defensive end has turned a corner in the past month. Since the game against Michigan State, Gross-Matos has 15 of his 19 pressures and six of his eight sacks.
Promising stars in limited action
Jayson Oweh: He may be the most physically talented pass-rusher that the Nittany Lions have but is ‘very raw’ according to coach Franklin. Oweh only has 27 pass-rush snaps in three games but has three pressures, including two sacks. He’ll likely play more in the bowl game and should be a breakout candidate for 2019 if he can continue to develop.
