Few Snaps, Big Impact: Penn State WR Zay Robinson Impresses in Limited Role

Penn State wide receiver Zay Robinson saw just six offensive snaps last Saturday against Temple. Four of them were passing plays. Three went to him.

The redshirt freshman now has four receptions for 73 yards and a touchdown this season despite only seeing time in a rotational role, making him arguably the most efficient player on a per-snap basis.

“It’s just nice to have an opportunity to be out there with my guys and just to be able to help however I can,” Robinson said Wednesday. “So it’s just been nice to be out there.”

Buried beneath wide receivers Koby Howard, Chase Sowell, Brett Eskildsen, Amarion Jackson and Karon Brookins in snap count through two games, the path to playing time is narrow. Add in an average of 1.9 tight ends on the field per 134 offensive snaps this season, which eats into the receivers’ playing time.

“There’s a lot of playmakers,” head coach Matt Campbell said. “There’s a lot of guys that we feel can do different things with their skill sets with the football. I think the biggest thing we try to do as we go into each game is, how do we try to create matchups that you know are advantageous to us?”

He’s also been a special teams weapon, taking five punt returns for 63 yards and two kick returns for 41 yards. Despite some impressive efforts, Robinson is still searching for the big one.

“(I’ve been) like literally a man or two away from breaking it, and that’s just on me,” Robinson said. “You know, I got the right blocks. I just got to go make somebody miss and go score.”

Robinson was a three-star recruit out of West Des Moines, Iowa, in 2025, choosing between a handful of power conference offers from midwest programs: Iowa State, Colorado, Iowa, Kansas State and Missouri. He landed with the Cyclones, who offered him more than four months before any of the others.

He didn’t make the best first impression on Sowell, who said he “actually didn’t like him a lot” initially. As a true freshman, Robinson brought a confidence with him, making bold proclamations about what he’d accomplish. But when he backed it up in practice, Sowell quickly flipped skepticism to respect, comparing Robinson to a younger brother.

“That was just me being myself,” Robinson said. “I’m loud. I’m, I’m nice. I like to dance. I just like to be that spark of energy. So now looking back at it, it’s been really nice to have Chase in my circle the entire time.”

When the coaching staff that was first to recruit him, including Campbell and offensive coordinator Taylor Mouser, made the jump to Happy Valley, Robinson knew he had to follow.

“It was really easy,” Robinson said. “They cared about all the stuff off the field, just me growing as a man. That’s what they cared more about more than what I do on the field, and they care more about my family than I’ve seen any coaching staff I’ve ever been around.”

Several family members were in attendance at Beaver Stadium two Saturdays ago to watch the Nittany Lions’ season-opener against Marshall.

“(My grandma) told me it was just really loud, something she’d never seen before,” Robinson said. “So it was just really nice to see her really happy out there.”