As sophomore receiver Omari Evans patched together a five-reception, 80-yard and one touchdown performance last weekend as part of Penn State’s Blue-White spring scrimmage, it was the latest entry in the Nittany Lions’ ongoing efforts to find a No. 3 receiver.
Heading into the summer, longtime wideout KeAndre Lambert-Smith looks to pair with incoming Kent State transfer Dante Cephas as an order-to-be-determined one/two combo. Lambert-Smith a familiar staple in the Nittany Lions’ offense over the last three seasons while the equally veteran Cephas will look to continue Penn State’s growing tradition of finding talented receivers in the portal.
“He showed up and was suddenly a track guy, you know, and now he’s done a really good job in the weight room,” Franklin said after the game of Evans, who has a long history of track and field success in high school as well as playing multiple positions in football. “He’s strong and he’s physical, and he’s getting more and more confident day by day. As you guys know, we’ve talked about it a lot. We need somebody to step up in that third wide receiver role. For the last week and a half, we moved him into that spot and obviously today was something to build on. There’s no doubt about it. He’s got all the tools.”
An interesting question in the coming months will be what exactly Penn State wants out of its third receiver. Over the previous nine seasons of James Franklin’s tenure, Penn State’s No. 3 receiver has actually been third on the team in receptions just once. In fact on five occasions two different players [running back or tight end] have hauled in more catches than a third-highest catch total by an actual receiver. Nevertheless, finding a legitimate threat – Penn State’s No. 3 receiver has caught seven touchdowns over the past two seasons – remains.
“I thought Kaden Saunders did some things and [Anthony] Ivey did some things, and Malik McClain did some things,” Franklin added on his younger receivers.
All told Penn State doesn’t need that much from its No. 3 receiver, on average the No. 3 wideout has averaged 23.1 receptions per season, 324 yards and just two touchdowns. These averages are dragged down a bit by a seven-game COVID-19 season in 2020 (Lambert-Smith posted a 15 reception, 138 yard season at No. 3 that year) but the general point remains. Be reliable — especially in games when the No. 1 or No. 2 guys might be a point of defensive emphasis — but don’t expect to carry too much of the load.
Penn State’s third-highest pass catching receiver (running backs and tight ends excluded])each season since 2014.
- 2022: KeAndre Lambert-Smith [24 receptions, 389 yards, 4 touchdowns]
- 2021: KeAndre Lambert-Smith [34 receptions, 521 yards, 3 touchdowns]
- 2020: KeAndrew Lambert-Smith [15 receptions, 138 yards, 0 touchdowns]
- 2019: Justin Shorter [12 receptions, 137 yards, 0 touchdowns]
- 2018: DeAndre Thompkins [25 receptions, 329 yards, 2 touchdowns]
- 2017: DeAndre Thompkins [28 receptions, 443 yards, 3 touchdowns]
- 2016: DeAndre Thompkins [27 receptions, 440 yards, 1 touchdown]
- 2015: Geno Lewis [17 receptions, 196 yards, 3 touchdowns]
- 2014: Chris Godwin [26 receptions, 338 yards, 2 touchdowns]
