Penn State could be adding more depth to its receiver room this weekend as sophomore wideout Omari Evans returns to practice, coach James Franklin said on Wednesday after practice.
“It’s early in the week to say,” Franklin said of Evans’ return. “But he practiced today and practice well. So we’ll see.”
The Nittany Lions targeted nine different receivers in Penn State’s opening week victory over West Virginia this past Saturday as sophomore Drew Allar made his starting quarterback debut. In that game Penn State went with the tandem of KeAndre Lambert-Smith and Trey Wallace as the No. 1 and No. 2 receiver options while rotating a handful of different options at the No. 3. Even with Evans potentially back in the mix, that No. 3 by committee approach will continue.
“Like I’ve talked about for a while we got two guys that are really kind of established themselves,” Franklin said. “And then we’ve got a number of guys that we feel good about. Liam [Clifford] is one of those guys. Obviously Malik [McClain] is one of those guys. There’s a number of guys that are competing, and will continue to be a weekly competition.”
Evans finished last season with five receptions for 55 yards and touchdown in a limited role as part of a much more established receiver room in 2022. All the same, Franklin has long been high on Evans’ potential to make an impact in Penn State’s offense.
“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 of Evans following this year’s Blue White scrimmage. “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.”
