UNIVERSITY PARK, Pa. - While former Nittany Lions fulfilled their dreams of being selected in the 2025 NFL Draft, Penn State’s annual Blue-White game on Saturday offered the opportunity to get a glimpse into a group that’s a unique blend of returning stars and new faces ready to make an impact.
Several of those new names take shape on the offensive side of the ball where departures provided the chance for wideouts to cultivate a significant role in the passing game.
Headlined by senior Devonte Ross, from Troy, and redshirt senior Kyron Hudson, from USC, there’s palpable optimism about what the revamped receiving group can achieve. Head coach James Franklin said Ross, Hudson and a myriad of other returnees, such as redshirt freshman Tyseer Denmark and redshirt junior Kaden Saunders, have created a competitive room that’s bringing out the best in each other.
“I was pleased with what we did this spring in the passing game. I was also pleased with the wide receivers, not only the ones that have been on our roster, and their development. I think you guys saw Tyseer [Denmark] make some plays today which was great, too. Then, obviously, you got your first look at [Kyron] Hudson and [Devonte] Ross, both of which have very bright futures. We’re trying to create as much competition at every position as we possibly can, that is the nature of this level of college football. We embrace it as coaches and the players embrace it as well.”
Senior quarterback Drew Allar is set to enter his third season as the starter under center and his second under offensive coordinator Andy Kotelnicki, who will be able to mix-and-match the newly acquired weapons.
Allar echoed Franklin’s sentiment about how the receivers developed over the course of spring practices and said it sets a strong foundation for the summer where they’ll be able to work on route schemes and certain plays. “We installed new stuff that we did throughout spring and now we can peel it back, watch it and then go out and run it… We'll be able to spend a lot of time together throwing, and we already have that stuff mapped out with the strength staff.”
Franklin praised the competition between redshirt freshman quarterback Ethan Grunkemeyer and redshirt sophomore Jaxon Smolik, who found freshman wideout Lyrick Samuel for a touchdown in the Blue-White game.
Smolik and Grunkemeyer will be valuable pieces for Kotelnicki’s offense that likes to utilize various quarterbacks in different packages. Both young quarterbacks have electrifying arms and Franklin shared the QB2 spot will be a battle until the season opener on April. 30 against Nevada.
“Things are going phenomenally,” Franklin said. “They’ve got strong arms, and Jaxon missed the whole year, so we didn’t have a whole lot to compare and contrast. Jaxon had a great spring so it will be a battle for the backup quarterback spot. It’s going to be important that we get these guys reps in practice and in-game as well. Whoever wins the backup quarterback job, we’re going to have to get them real reps, whether that be packages that we have set up for them or entire series.”
With Kevin Winston Jr being selected in the third round by the Tennessee Titans and Jaylen Reed taken in the sixth round by the Houston Texans, competition will be a key focus for underclassmen in the secondary.
Juniors Elliot Washington II and A.J. Harris and redshirt junior Audavion Collins are all key pieces at the cornerback position and redshirt freshman Kenny Woseley Jr showed why he is another dynamic option for cornerbacks coach Terry Smith.
Woseley is learning a new position at the nickel spot but has already developed a strong relationship with Smith and new defensive coordinator Jim Knowles. “Coach Knowles’s defense is very versatile. I love the defense, and I love how he’s been implementing it. You can see that he is teaching different checks and calls and putting people in the right position to stop the offense.”
Woseley said he’s continuing to adapt to the speed of the college game after appearing in four games as a true freshman in 2024 but is finding success at his new spot. “Learning nickel was one of the big things for sure,” Woseley said. “I didn’t come in as a Nickel, but coach [Terry Smith] told me ‘we’re going to have you on the inside’, so just learning different techniques inside, how to make the best plays and understanding different angles.”