Tag: Dante Cephas

5 new faces to watch during Penn State spring football practices

Penn State’s spring football practices will begin soon. Here are five newcomers you should get to know.

Penn State coach James Franklin hasn’t always utilized the transfer portal the way most coaches do but that has changed and now we see more impact players coming in for the program.

He has always recruited well for the Nittany Lions and has had a great staff that attracts players to come in. This offseason he was able to attract several significant transfer players to pair with a strong 2023 recruiting class for the team.

Get to know just some of the new faces on campus that could be making plays in the Fall inside Beaver Stadium.

ESPN says these non-QB players will define Penn State’s success in 2023

ESPN says this group of players will be the key to Penn State’s success this football season.

As Penn State begins to prepare for spring football practices, the position under the brightest spotlight is the quarterback position. Following the long career of [autotag]Sean Clifford[/autotag], which ended with multiple Penn State passing records and a Rose Bowl victory to cap an 11-2 season, sophomore [autotag]Drew Allar[/autotag] is the expected successor for the Nittany Lions, and he comes with plenty of hype and lofty expectations moving forward. But if you eliminate the obvious quarterback position from the discussion, what position or positions will have the largest impact on what Penn State does in 2023?

ESPN went through each of its way-too-early top 25 teams for the 2023 season and singled out one group that will be the biggest key for each team this fall. When it came to Penn State, the focus stayed on the offensive side of the football with the supporting cast surrounding Allar. ESPN grouped all of Penn State’s skill position players into the key category as the players that will ultimately dictate whether Penn State has a successful season or not. To be fair, this seems like an easy out, but it does make some sense.

The defense will have some key players to replace but the entire defense still has a good amount of talent to rely on for the upcoming season. And the offense has the dynamic young duo of [autotag]Nick Singleton[/autotag] and [autotag]Kaytron Allen[/autotag] to run the football after stellar freshman seasons in 2022. Allen would have set the freshman rushing touchdown record for Penn State if it were not for Singleton also breaking and setting the new freshman record last season. Expect plenty of Singleton and Allen again in 2023.

Penn State’s biggest question mark on offense may come with the receivers after losing [autotag]Parker Washington[/autotag] and [autotag]Mitchell Tinsley[/autotag] to the NFL. The Nittany Lions bring back [autotag]KeAndre Lambert-Smith[/autotag], who had a big Rose Bowl, and the program attacked the transfer portal to add [autotag]Dante Cephas[/autotag] from Kent State and [autotag]Malik McClain[/autotag] from Florida State. The two new transfer additions should fit right in with the offense, but it is fair to wonder just how quickly the receivers get in sync with Allar.

Penn State was a common team placed in the top 10 of the way-too-early top 25 rankings following the conclusion of the 2022 season, and it is expected the Nittany Lions could be in the Big Ten championship and College Football Playoff discussion in the fall, and if the offense is firing on all cylinders, then the Nittany Lions could be in for a wild season.

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Penn State makes top 13 for four-star athlete in 2024

Penn State makes latest top schools cut for four-star two-way player in Class of 2024

Penn State is officially in the running for an athletic four-star player in the Class of 2024. According to Hayes Fawcett of On3, California native Aaron Butler has updated his top schools list to 13, and Penn State is among the latest batch of candidates.

Butler was previously committed to USC but has recently reopened his recruitment. USC is still in the mix as well, and may still be considered the favorite. Penn State will have some work to do to make a big dent in this recruiting battle.

In addition to Penn State and USC, the other top schools reportedly in the hunt are Alabama, Colorado, Georgia, Michigan, Notre Dame, Ohio State, Oregon, Tennessee, Texas Tech, and Washington.

Butler has been profiled as an athlete because he is a versatile two-way player who has played cornerback and wide receiver. And at this point, it remains to be seen where his primary position may be at the next level. And, perhaps, his decision may come down to which position he will be given to play at each contending school in the recruiting process.

Judging by his social media feed, it does seem as though Butler would prefer to be considered a wide receiver over cornerback.

Penn State will be looking to add some playmakers at wide receiver in the Class of 2024. After losing [autotag]Parker Washington[/autotag] and [autotag]Mitchell Tinsley[/autotag] to the NFL draft, and seeing [autotag]Jaden Dottin[/autotag] enter the transfer portal, Penn State could use some more long-term options at the position. Penn State did add a couple of transfer wide receivers in [autotag]Dante Cephas[/autotag] from Kent State and [autotag]Malik McClain[/autotag] from Florida State.

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Ex-Florida State wide receiver transfers to Penn State

Penn State stabilizes wide receiver outlook with former Florida State receiver transfer Malik McClain

For the second time in the past week, Penn State has added a wide receiver to the program from the transfer portal. Former Florida State wide receiver [autotag]Malik McClain[/autotag] has reportedly enrolled in classes at Penn State and committing to the Nittany Lions. McClain has yet to announce the commitment on his Twitter profile, but he has updated his profile image on the social media account.

McClain played in all 13 games for Florida State during the 2022 season and caught 17 passes for 206 yards and three touchdowns. He caught 16 passes for 190 yards and two touchdowns in 2021.

McClain is a former four-star recruit of Florida State’s Class of 2021 from IMG Academy, a program Penn state is certainly no stranger to. At the time of his recruitment out of high school, McClain was the no. 38 receiver in the nation.

McClain’s transfer commitment is paired with the recent addition of [autotag]Dante Cephas[/autotag] from Kent State. Together, Cephas and McClain will help to fill the veteran void left by the departures of [autotag]Parker Washington[/autotag] and [autotag]Mitchell Tinsley[/autotag], who are both off to the NFL this spring. They should each help to take the pressure off the leading returning receiver, [autotag]Keandre Lambert-Smith[/autotag], who is coming off a terrific performance in the Rose Bowl.

McClain will also help to give the offense an experienced target, along with Cephas, as [autotag]Drew Allar[/autotag] steps in to lead the offense at quarterback in 2023. Allar is already having some Heisman hype surrounding him entering the new season. Having a receiver like McClain should help that cause.

This news also comes a day after Penn State added its second commitment in the Class of 2024 with the addition of four-star linebacker [autotag]Anthony Specca[/autotag]. So it’s been a pretty decent week for head coach James Franklin.

Of course, the transfer portal has a way of breaking even sometimes. Also on Wednesday, Penn State wide receiver [autotag]Jaden Dottin[/autotag] announced he was entering the transfer portal.

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Penn State wide receiver Jaden Dottin enters transfer portal

This Penn State wide receiver enters the transfer portal with three years of eligibility remaining.

As the window closes on the open transfer period in college football, Penn State appears to be set to see another player leave for another opportunity. [autotag]Jaden Dottin[/autotag] announced, via Twitter, on Wednesday he has made the decision to enter the transfer portal.

“Thank You Penn State and everyone involved with me for everything!” Dottin said in his message on Twitter. “I am forever grateful! I am now officially in the transfer portal with [three] years of eligibility.”

As Dottin noted, he will have three years of eligibility to make use of wherever he ends up next.

In three seasons at Penn State, Dottin recorded stats in just one game. That game came early in the 2022 season with two receptions for 14 yards in a win against Ohio.

By entering the transfer portal, Dottin is free to communicate with any other college football program interested in recruiting him. Dottin is also free to withdraw his name from the transfer portal database if he ultimately decides to remain at Penn State. Most players entering the transfer portal do leave for other programs, but it is not unprecedented for a player to evaluate their options and decide to stay put.

Penn State has not lost any current wide receivers to the transfer portal so far this offseason, but the Nittany Lions are set to lose [autotag]Parker Washington[/autotag] and [autotag]Mitchell Tinsley[/autotag] from last year’s roster. Washington declared early for the 2023 NFL draft and Tinsley’s eligibility expired.

Penn State has added to the wide receiver group by way of the transfer portal. It most recently picked up a commitment from former Kent State wide receiver [autotag]Dante Cephas[/autotag] and former Florida State wide receiver [autotag]Malik McClain[/autotag].

We’ll see where Dottin heads next and wish him the best of luck in his new environment.

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Best photos of Dante Cephas, Penn State’s new transfer wide receiver

Best photos of new Penn State wide receiver Dante Cephas.

Penn State is welcoming former Kent State wide receiver [autotag]Dante Cephas[/autotag] to the program in 2023. Cephas committed to Penn State out of the transfer portal and should be able to make a quick move into a solid role in the Penn State passing game led by sophomore quarterback Drew Allar.

The senior receiver comes to Penn State with over 2,000 career receiving yards following his four seasons at Kent State, and he has reached the end zone 12 times. He was one of the top receivers in the MAC in 2021 but saw a dip in his production in 2022 after missing a few games after playing 14 games in 2021.

Here are some of the best photos of Cephas during his time at Kent State as he makes his way to Happy Valley for the 2023 season.

Penn State lands coveted WR transfer Dante Cephas

Penn State receives commitment from wide receiver target out of transfer portal.

Penn State has hauled in a big-time playmaker out of the transfer portal in the form of [autotag]Dante Cephas[/autotag]. Just like last year when they got [autotag]Mitchell Tinsley[/autotag], expectations will be high for Cephas but his play style may allow for more playmaking than the previous one.

Cephas spent four seasons with Kent State, becoming a more prominent player in a revamped fast-paced Kent State offense. Cephas entered the transfer portal in early December and was a key target for Penn State as well as other schools such as Colorado and North Carolina. He became a bigger focus for the team after [autotag]Parker Washington’s[/autotag] announcement that he would enter the NFL draft last month.

If the Nittany Lions can get consistent play out of [autotag]KeAndre Lambert-Smith[/autotag] with Cephas it could prove to be a more than sustainable supporting cast for future starting quarterback [autotag]Drew Allar[/autotag].

Get to know the new playmaker from Penn Hills in the Penn State offense.

Penn State makes surprising coaching staff change

The timing of this surprising coaching change at Penn State may not be a coincidence.

Penn State has fired wide receivers coach and offensive recruiting coordinator [autotag]Taylor Stubblefield[/autotag], the team announced on Sunday.

Stubblefield announced his departure from the Nittany Lions with a statement on Twitter as well.

Coach [autotag]James Franklin[/autotag] stated he “would like to thank Taylor for his efforts during his time with Penn State but feel it is in our program’s best interest to make a change at this time,” James Franklin said. “I wish him and his family nothing but the best in the future.”

Franklin had told the media on Dec. 28 that “there’s a lot of moving parts left, but we’ll see how it plays out. But I’m hopeful that we will retain the majority if not all the staff.” Despite that statement we now see there was a change in the works.

In his statement, Stubblefield reflected on all his accomplishments during his three-year tenure in Happy Valley.

Interesting timing on this though that is worth mentioning, just after this move was announced transfer wide receiver [autotag]Dante Cephas[/autotag] committed to Penn State. Before Cephas committed, Penn State had two transfer targets at receivers commit to other schools, including one flipping his commitment from Penn State.

Stubblefield was hired to coach the team’s wide receivers prior to the 2020 season and took over as the offensive recruiting coordinator following the conclusion of the 2020 season. He coached [autotag]Jahan Dotson[/autotag], who was a first-round pick in the 2022 NFL Draft, and he coached [autotag]Parker Washington[/autotag] who declared for the draft last month. While he may not be a first-round pick this year as a projection, he will be one of the top-ranked receivers in the draft come April.

There is no update on who will be Penn State’s next wide receivers coach at this time.

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Updated look at the top 10 available players in the transfer portal

The transfer portal is still loaded with talented playmakers. Here’s a look at the highest rated players available at this time.

The NCAA transfer portal is loaded with talented playmakers this offseason. Continue reading “Updated look at the top 10 available players in the transfer portal”

Georgia football offers transfer portal WR from Kent State

Dante Cephas caught three passes against UGA this season.

Kirby Smart and the Georgia Bulldogs have offered a scholarship to Kent State wide receiver Dante Cephas. Cephas, a former three-star recruit, is currently in the NCAA transfer portal.

Dante Cephas got a first-hand look at the atmosphere in Athens, Georgia, when Kent State played at Georgia on Sept. 24. The Golden Flash competed well against Georgia in a 39-22 loss to the Bulldogs. Cephas finished that contest with three catches for 25 yards.

Cephas caught 48 passes for 744 yards and scored three touchdowns for Kent State this past season. In 2021, Cephas hauled in 82 passes for 1,240 yards and finished the year with nine touchdown receptions.

The junior receiver would be immediately eligible at his new home. Dante Cephas is the No. 16 player in the transfer portal, per 247Sports. Cephas is currently projected to commit to Penn State.

The 6-foot-1, 190-pound receiver is from Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania. Cephas announced his scholarship offer from the University of Georgia via Twitter:

Colorado, Miami, Maryland, Oklahoma, Notre Dame, and more elite college football programs have offered scholarship offers to Dante Cephas.

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