James Franklin makes Tragic Report about wide receiver.
Penn State has two wins in two games after handling West Virginia in the season opener and skating by Bowling Green at Beaver Stadium last weekend.
The majority of Penn State’s talent is homegrown through the high school ranks but transfer portal additions are also making early contributions.
On the flip side, several Penn State portal departures continued their collegiate careers at new schools in Week 2. Let’s take a look at how the former Nittany Lions fared elsewhere.
Lambert-Smith made an instant impact in Auburn’s opener a couple weeks ago. Last Saturday wasn’t as fun. Lambert-Smith had two catches, including a touchdown, but in a losing effort at home against Cal, a 12-point underdog.
His new QB Payton Thorne, a Michigan State transfer, threw four interceptions. Perhaps Lambert-Smith is regretting his decision to leave.
The Wildcats are 2-0 and ranked No. 14 nationally after a come-from-behind road win at Tulane. But Cephas has yet to make his mark at Kansas State.
The once-heralded Kent State transfer, who struggled to settle in with the Nittany Lions, didn’t have a catch in Kansas State’s 34-27 win. He played 30 offensive snaps and was targeted once.
McClain is another transfer receiver who didn’t work out with Penn State and is finding it hard to secure a role at his new school. McClain logged nine snaps in Arizona State’s 30-23 win over Mississippi State. McClain was targeted once and did not record a catch.
Though he was on the losing side, Lee made more of an impact in the Mississippi State-Arizona State game. Lee, who left Penn State after the 2022 season, scored a touchdown and led the Bulldogs in rushing with 35 yards on nine carries. He also had two catches for 11 yards.
Driver recorded his first career touchdown, a 6-yard score in a 48-0 win over Rhode Island. He now has three receptions for 27 yards as a backup through three games.
