Latest news with #DevonteRoss
Yahoo
4 days ago
- Sport
- Yahoo
2 Penn State wideouts named to Biletnikoff Award watch list
2 Penn State wideouts named to Biletnikoff Award watch list originally appeared on The Sporting News The Biletnikoff Award is given annually to the top receiver in college football. Among the many wideouts who are considered favorites to claim this year's trophy are two incoming Penn State transfers. Redshirt senior Trebor Peña and senior Devonte Ross were the Nittany Lions' two representatives on the Biletnikoff Award preseason watch list, which was released on Wednesday. Penn State is one of eight schools with multiple players on the list, with Big Ten rivals Ohio State and Michigan State being among the other seven. Peña, who was also named to the Paul Hornung Award preseason watch list, joined Penn State via the transfer portal after spending the first five years of his college football career at Syracuse. He is coming off his best season with the Orange, during which he caught 84 passes for 941 yards and nine touchdowns. Peña had 100-yard games against Stanford on Sept. 20 and Miami on Nov. 30, in addition to being named to the All-ACC Second Team for his efforts throughout the year. Ross, meanwhile, previously plied his trade at Troy, where he was named to the All-Sun Belt First Team as both a wide receiver and an all-purpose player and the All-Sun Belt Second Team as a return specialist. Last year, he totaled 1,043 receiving yards (229 of which came against Florida A&M on Sept. 21) and 11 touchdowns on 76 receptions. Ross also returned 13 kickoffs for 214 yards and nine punts for 153 yards and a score. The additions of Peña and Ross will provide production to a Penn State passing game that lost its top target from last season, tight end Tyler Warren, to the NFL. The Drew Allar-led squad will take on Nevada in its season opener at 3:30 p.m. on Aug. 30.
Yahoo
5 days ago
- Sport
- Yahoo
What should Penn State fans expect from Devonte Ross in 2025?
It's no secret Penn State needed help at wide receiver, and the Nittany Lions responded by bringing in a trio of transfers with proven production. Among them, Devonte Ross arrives for his fifth season of college ball after one year at Kentucky and three at Troy, hoping to become a reliable target for quarterback Drew Allar. Here's a look at Ross heading into the 2025 season with Penn State. 2024 in review Ross experienced a breakout year in 2024, recording 76 catches - more than every other season combined - for over 1,000 yards and 11 touchdowns. He also served as a punt and kick returner, and could compete for one or both of those roles this fall in Happy Valley. Ross recorded multiple catches in every game with the Trojans, including an 11-catch, 229-yard, three-touchdown performance against FAMU. In his only game against power conference competition, Ross recored five grabs for 142 yards and three total touchdowns against Iowa. Biggest question in 2025 Ross is smaller in stature, standing at just 5-foot-10 and 170 pounds. He relies on his speed and elusiveness rather than physicality, which worked well against Sun Belt defenses but may not lead to the same success against staunch Big Ten secondaries. In fairness, Ross had a great game against the Hawkeyes last season with multiple explosive plays and a punt return touchdown, but it's a small sample size. 2025 will be a success if… This season will be a success if Ross can continue to get open through his route-running and speed. Ross was often streaking wide open across the field, providing a reliable target for big gains. Allar hasn't had many dependable targets since taking over as a starter, and Ross could prove to be his safety valve if the two can establish chemistry. 2025 will be a disappointment if… The season will fall short of expectations if Ross fails to gain separation from defensive backs or win contested catches. He may also struggle if Allar plays conservatively and doesn't give him many deep-ball opportunities. If the two are unable to connect on explosives, it'll hurt both their numbers this season. Realistic outlook for 2025 Ross has proven his big-play ability, including against a Big Ten defense, and he'll be working with better players around him than he had at Troy. That said, Trebor Pena is expected to be Penn State's WR1, meaning Ross may not get as many targets as he did at Troy. Realistic expectations for 2025 are 45 receptions for 600 yards and around eight touchdowns. Follow Nittany Lions Wire on X, Facebook, and Threads This article originally appeared on Nittany Lions Wire: Devonte Ross 2025 player preview
USA Today
22-06-2025
- Sport
- USA Today
Ranking Penn State's Offensive Units
The Nittany Lions are dreaming of a CFP championship, and because of the massive amount of players returning to Happy Valley, that dream could be realized. No where is the presence of their returners felt than their offense. Thus, Penn State has elite depth at every position group that they can point to. As I rank the five offensive units for the Nittany Lions, you will see just how much talent is on this how difficult it is to differentiate. 5. Wide Receivers It is not that the receivers are any bad at all. It's just that as transfers at a trouble spot for Penn State, should they underwhelm, the finger will be firmly pointed towards them when trying to find scapegoats. Nevertheless, Kyron Hudson, Devonte Ross, and Trebor Pena enter the program with lofty resumes and understanding the standard set forth by their new school. Ross and Pena especially, with breakout campaigns last year, will look to immediately elevate a tepid receiving corps. However, due to the weight this position group must bear, they must sit at the bottom of these rankings. 4. Tight Ends When you lose a player such as Tyler Warren to the NFL, you're sure to face a precipitous drop amongst offensive units. However, there is still elite talent at the position plus added depth with Warren's departure. Khalil Dinkins entering his junior season looks to be the firm leader of the pack, but the young depth behind him could be primed for breakout seasons themselves. Luke Reynolds' special teams prowess stood out and he could be looking for an expanded role offensively in his sophomore season. Andrew Rappleyea is an exciting depth option coming back from injury. And freshman Andrew Olesh immediately gives the room a bright future. Look for this room to potentially out-perform this ranking. 3. Quarterbacks Some might be surprised to see the QBs rated this low, but lack of experienced depth after Beau Pribula transferred to Missouri leaves much to be desired outside of Drew Allar. Allar's presence alone as he returns to Happy Valley after leading the Big Ten in passing yards last year is enough to elevate this group, but the pressure to deliver in big games in the clutch will be questioned should he falter yet again. Behind him, the room's future looks promising but will just be untapped potential this year. However, look for Ethan Grunkemeyer, the redshirt freshman and Jaxon Smolik to have a fierce QB battle in 2026. 2. Running Backs This room could certainly be the best Penn State has on both sides of the ball with the return of their elite tandem in Nicholas Singleton and Kaytron Allen. With almost 2,000 rushing yards between them from last season, look for Singleton and Allen continue to be the best RB tandem in college football. However, even wtihout them at the helm, this room would have still looked mighty impressive. Quinton Martin, Cam Wallace, and Corey Smith are all waiting patiently for their turns to shine as the next great Penn State running back, and could feature this year to alleviate the burden both Singleton and Allen. 1. Offensive Line An elite offense such as this with a lot of returning talent needs an elite O-line. Most importantly, it needs the continuity that the offense sustains itself. Penn State has that in spades. Penn State returns an incredible four starters to the line, after breaking in three new ones last year. Look for former top-50 recruit Cooper Cousins to seamlessly fill the shoes of the departed Sal Wormley to make up the void. Add in the fact that J'Ven Williams, Nolan Rucci, and Alex Birchmeier could start at any other elite college program, and Penn State may just have the deepest, most talented line not just in the Big Ten, but in college football outright.
Yahoo
07-05-2025
- Sport
- Yahoo
Blue-White Game success: Why, finally, the Penn State football receivers are rising
STATE COLLEGE − It was the first time the Penn State football world got to see a supposedly revamped wide receiver room. The position group that was blamed for the Nittany Lions not making it to the national championship game (No catches in the Orange Bowl loss to Notre Dame). Advertisement The one that's been maligned for two years and more. The one that, since January, has added promising rookies and transfers and has, reportedly, grown some of its returners. The room that added yet another big piece on Saturday, a couple of hours before the Blue-White Game here in the Beaver Stadium construction zone. So far, so good for a top-five team that needs an overhaul at often the most visible position on the field. Penn State wide receiver Lyrick Samuel (81) runs after a catch during the Blue-White game at Beaver Stadium on Saturday, April 26, 2025, in State College. The White team defeated the Blue team, 10-8. The transfers certainly showed out, no matter that it was against teammates and backups. Speedy Devonte Ross ran and caught short and long and just missed on a 60-yard pass play from Drew Allar, the ball sailing just a bit too far. Sturdy Kyron Hudson, who plays bigger than his 6-foot-1 frame, made catches look easy on the sideline and across the middle. Advertisement The young kids looked promising, too. The 6-foot-4 Lyrick Samuel, the least-publicized of the Lions' four incoming receivers, got behind the defense on a 40-yard touchdown catch from backup QB Jaxon Smolik. He made a couple of other smooth catches-and-runs. Redshirt freshman Tyseer Denmark found a groove, too, after the drill work turned to live tackling in the second half. The best new Penn State football receiver? Three of those four guys weren't even here last year. And Denmark played little as a rookie. Even more? Penn State landed arguably the top spring transfer portal receiver, Trebor Pena, on Saturday. He caught 84 passes last season at Syracuse. Call head coach James Franklin impressed after Blue-White, which signals the end of spring practice. He declined to mention Pena, by name, but seemed to be talking of him when describing how important the next three months are for this group. Advertisement "You guys really got your first look at Hudson and Ross and both those guys have very bright futures. But we're going to need competition through the whole room. We're just trying to create as much competition at every position as we possibly can. We embrace it as coaches, the players embrace it, as well. "The nice thing is you can get a ton of work done in the passing game over the summer. It's hard to really work on the running game. But the passing game, you can throw on air, you can do one-on-ones, you can do seven-on-seven (drills). There's a ton of work you can get done." This team, this offense, this quarterback, even, need a resurgence here. They don't need an All-America-type receiver like they've had in Jahan Dotson, Chris Godwin or Allen Robinson, they simply need reliable pass-catchers who can take from Allar as good as he gives. They finally seem on the way to that. Advertisement "This is a huge time of the year for us in our offense," Allar said after throwing mostly to Ross, Hudson and senior Liam Clifford on Saturday. "We'll be able to spend a lot of time together throwing, and we already have that stuff mapped out with the strength staff. We're making that as efficient as possible. "The receivers" he said, "have taken a huge step forward for us this spring ..." Just maybe the missing piece to this team being all it can truly be. Frank Bodani covers Penn State football for the York Daily Record and USA Today Network. Contact him at fbodani@ and follow him on X, formerly known as Twitter, @YDRPennState. This article originally appeared on York Daily Record: Penn State football Blue-White Game: Why receivers are finally rising
