You might say Penn State has a problem. In the very least, Penn State has way too many talented receivers.
It’s fairly noticeable turn of events for a program that has become accustomed to playing whoever is healthy. Now Penn State can simply play whoever it wants to.
So all things considered, this isn’t the worst problem to have.
But it does make the receiver competition a little more interesting to follow than most may have anticipated. Returning sophomore DaeSean Hamilton will be a marquee target once again, but after that the door is open.
Yes, that includes junior Geno Lewis who has been a consistent option in the offense for three years, although without his fair share of bumps in the road along the way. Lewis is still probably the best bet to see another start come the season opener, but he isn’t immune to rising talent.
And there is a lot of it.
“It’s a good group over there,” defensive backs coach Terry Smith said Tuesday morning. “It’s a good young group, those big guys that are coming in and the little fast freshman who brings in a different element and then the veterans in Geno and DaeSean. It has been great competition for us and it’s making our secondary better because that group is making us so good and we hope that we’re giving them the same thing back.”
That “fast freshman”, Brandon Polk, a 5-foot-10 163 pound speedster that Hamilton calls “fast as lightning” and turned a short gain on Tuesday morning into a touchdown after sliding past one would-be tackler and juking around fellow freshman corner John Reid before sprinting away from the crowd.
“He’s a little lightening bug,” Hamilton said. “When he’s out there he’s making plays. We give him sweeps and stuff like that. He’s a (threat) to score every time he touches the ball.”
Polk’s run in many ways is what makes Penn State’s growing receiving corps so impressive. Until Tuesday, he had gone largely overlooked by the media, (although mentioned here back in February). Not overlooked because he wasn’t seen as talented, overlooked because there are simply so many options.
Those options? Beyond Lewis and Hamilton, Polk joins a group that includes budding star in Saeed Blacknall, the speedy Chris Godwin and DeAndre Thompkins along with dual towering 6-foot-4, 213 pound freshman in Irivin Charles and Juwan Johnson.
That’s six players in the mix along with two established starters. Add in tight ends, Kyle Carter, Adam Breneman and Mike Gisicki with a backfield of Akeel Lynch of his enutrage of equally talented reserves, and suddenly things are getting interesting.
Of course, talent is only part of the equation. Blocking, reading defenses and the like are all important aspects of truly being a threat as a receiver. Simply having oodles of skilled players is not enough to win.
But it’s becoming increasingly clear that the Nittany Lions are surrounding Christian Hackenberg with the talent he has craved the past two years.
If that makes a difference is a 13 game, first round, 4.1 million dollar question.
