Spring Practice 2014: A Way Too Early Preview of the WR Position

With Spring Practice starting in two weeks on March 17, we will be doing a "way too early" preview of each position group. With this being the first Spring Training Camp under new head coach James Franklin, there are plenty of questions to be answered. In this post, we dissect the Wide Receiver Position.

Wide Receiver: 

1. Geno Lewis 

2. DaeSean Hamilton 

3. Matt Zanellato 

Wide Receiver: 

1. Saeed Blacknall OR

2. Chris Godwin 

3. Troy Apke 

4. Matt Zanellato 

Slot Receiver:  

1. Richy Anderson OR

2. DeAndre Thompkins

Returning Players: 

Geno Lewis: Geno Lewis is a definite breakout player to watch this spring and going into the season. A 4-star recruit coming out of high school,  Lewis was redshirted during the 2012 season primarily to bulk up and learn the nuances of the WR position, as he played a lot of QB in high school and relied heavily on his athleticism. During this past season, he showed some great potential particularly during the first and last games of the year by catching a 54 yard touchdown against Syracuse and a 59 yard over the shoulder TD against Wisconsin. However, he was often stuck behind Allen Robinson and and recent graduate Brandon Moseby-Felder.

Richy Anderson: Anderson was something of a surprise contributor this past year. As a solid, but under-the-radar, recruit out of Frederick, Maryland, not many expected Anderson, the son of former Penn State star RB Richie Anderson, to seize the starting slot receiver role this past year. While he finished the year with only 13 catches for 111 yards, he saw plenty of time on the field and displayed some impressive quickness as well as the ability to catch in traffic. Anderson could be asked to step up and help fill the gap that the departure of Allen Robinson left on this team. However, Anderson will also have to fend off some impressive  WR recruits entering the program this spring and summer.

Newcomers: 

Deandre Thompkins: Thompkins is already on campus as an early enrollee, and will be participating in Spring Practice in just two weeks. The 247composite 4-star recruit has received a lot of hype, as he will enter the Big Ten as one of the fastest players in the conference from the get-go. In fact, Thompkins finished 2nd in the state of North Carolina in the 400 meter dash. However, entering this spring, Thompkins has a lot of work to do in the weight room. He does not appear to weigh any more than 170, so the extra semester in a college weight program should benefit him. Also, take a look at his high school team's jerseys in that video... he was destined for PSU.

The Rest: The rest of the 2014 WR recruits will not be enrolling until the summer, so their impact won't be felt until after spring practice. However, there is a lot to be look forward to. Chris Godwin and Saeed Blacknall are both big, athletic WRs that have the ability to start in the Fall next year. Both are 247composite 4-star receivers. Additionally, Troy Apke enters the program as a very fast, 247composite 3 star WR from Pittsburgh, PA. All three have the talent to make an impact as True Freshman.

Key ?'s Entering Spring Practice:
While the obvious question is who will start opposite Geno Lewis, we likely won't get that answer until Blacknall and Godwin are on campus this summer. So, the biggest question is what will happen in the slot position. As has been mentioned, Richy Anderson showed some positive signs as a True Freshman last year, yet Thompkins has gobs of potential as well as elite athleticism. Since this is a whole new coaching staff, Anderson no longer has the advantage of knowing the coaches and the system better than Thompkins. Basically, Anderson and Thompkins should enter spring practice on equal ground, and it should be one of the more compelling position battles to watch.