by Kyle Golik
Everyone knows a little Latin, and one of the well-known phrases is “caveat emptor.” “Caveat Emptor” means in English “let the buyer beware” in English. If yesterday’s performance against Ohio State is any indicator for NFL scouts, it may be risky to select Penn State quarterback Drew Allar in the first round if he enters the NFL Draft in 2025.
Last season, I can say unequivocally the wide receivers held back Penn State and Allar. They got no separation, and Allar wasn’t able to thread the needle against Ohio State last season.
This season, the wide receiver play is not much better; although it isn’t as bad as last season, from the press box, I observed continued poor performance by the wide receivers. They couldn’t stretch the field or open it up for their dynamic running back duo of Nick Singleton and Kaytron Allen, as well as tight end Tyler Warren – who continues to look like a Mackey Award winner.
A few weeks ago, Penn State head coach James Franklin got on his soapbox and gave a speech to us in the media about wide receiver Omari Evans, “Everybody’s journey is different. We use the quote all the time, ‘Comparison is the thief of joy.’ Run your race. I know you guys gotta see it,” Franklin said, “But Omari has shown flashes ever since we recruited him and he came to camp. But it’s about consistency. And he’s practicing more consistently and he’s competing more consistently and he’s gained confidence. I think I told you guys, if he has some success his career could go through the roof. So you’re starting to see it.”
I will now get on my soapbox and ask Franklin, since that speech (since Franklin doesn’t rant), Evans has had three receptions for 31 yards in four games.
Yesterday, you the reader and me the writer had exactly the same number of targets Evans had against Ohio State.
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You guessed it…zero.
So what exactly am I starting to see with Evans? He wasn’t listed on the player availability report.
Penn State’s “great” NIL import in former Ohio State wide receiver Julian Fleming has been pretty forgettable. If it weren’t for his two major receptions against Southern California, it would be even worse for Fleming. Fleming had a sure touchdown in the opening series against Wisconsin, but he dropped it, and that has been a macrocosm of his entire career between Ohio State and Penn State – when you think Fleming is about to put it together, he simply doesn’t.
Our own contributor Mark Pszonak wrote back in August about Fleming, “Now with the opportunity to be a difference maker, will he shine? I don’t see it. In my eyes he is a reliable receiver, who will still be helpful at Penn State, but he won’t provide much of a spark to the passing game. On top of that, quarterback Drew Allar has yet to prove that he can play at an elite level. Expect more of the same from the passing game in Happy Valley this season.”
Fleming had a very forgettable four-yard reception on his only target yesterday; in a lot of ways he is one of the biggest five-star busts in recruiting history because simply that level of play hasn’t materialized.
If there has been any semblance of a true No. 1 receiver for Penn State, it would be Trey Wallace. Unfortunately, in the biggest moment for Penn State in the game, at the end of the first half, Allar delivered a ball that was very much an elite throw because of the small window that Wallace had his hands on, but he bobbled it into Ohio State defensive back Davison Igbosun’s hands for an interception, thwarting any more momentum for Penn State as they moved forward.
Franklin was pressed after the game about what he saw on Igbosun’s highlight interception, “Yes, Drew, made a nice throw. We had a chance to come down with the ball. They called it incomplete at first, then they reviewed it, called it as an INT. The guys that are watching on TV have got a better idea of how that whole thing played out. There was a ton of 50/50 calls in this game that you could call in either direction. There were a ton of them in this game. The fumble on the sideline, in the near arm that goes out at the 2-yard line, obviously, and it’s called a touchdown (on the field). There’s a ton of 50/50 calls that could go either way, and in that type of game they’re critical. Besides that, I don’t have a whole lot more for you. But, you know, obviously, turning the ball over in the red zone and getting stopped on downs, two turnovers inside the five. That’s really the story of the game.”
While Franklin summarized the story of the game, the poor wide receiver play continues to haunt Penn State and even their prized quarterback Drew Allar. Allar really has all the tools to be a Day 1 NFL Draft choice but scouts have to be leery considering the poor play at wide receivers. Allar targeted Penn State wide receivers only eight times, with the receivers only coming up with three receptions for 49 yards.
Penn State has the weapons in the backfield and tight end to be special, when the wide receiver group cannot do the bare minimum it is why Penn State loses these big games. This is Franklin’s most talented group, but this wide receiver group is rivaling last year’s group for the worst wide receiver group in the Franklin era – something that is costing Allar in terms of his draft status.
