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It was a banner season for the Penn State Nittany Lions and head coach James Franklin. The team won 11 games and capped their season off with a resounding 35-21 win over Utah in the Rose Bowl.
That’s a far cry from where the team was projected at the beginning of the year. The Nittany Lions started the season unranked, with a Vegas win total of 8.5. But, they played really good football all season, with their only two losses coming to playoff teams Ohio State and Michigan, both in games they led in the 2nd half.
And, expectations are sky-high for next year. They’ve been ranked in the top ten of every too-early preseason poll for next year, and have been as high as number four.
Penn State returns star freshman running backs Nick Singleton and Kaytron Allen. They return four starters and six players on the offensive line with considerable experience, including projected top-ten pick Olu Fashanu, who decided to return to school. The tight end room is stacked, as well. Defensively, The Nittany Lions return bookend defensive ends Adisa Isaac and Chop Robinson. Star linebackers Curtis Jacobs and freshman sensation Abdul Carter highlight the second level, while Kalen King is one of the best cornerbacks in the nation.
But, most exciting of all is freshman quarterback Drew Allar. Allar, ranked by some recruiting services as the top quarterback in the 2022 class, draws Josh Allen comparisons with his rocket arm and mobility skills. The only question was, who could Penn State get for him to throw to. Wide receiver was a glaring weakness going into next season, as studs Parker Washington and Mitchell Tinsley decided to go to the NFL.
But, they’ve made a huge addition via the transfer portal.
Huge pick up for Penn State.
Kent State WR Dante Cephas has transferred in.
Cephus was the 26th ranked player in the portal this year. He caught 12 TDs and had close to 2,000 yards in the past two years at Kent State. pic.twitter.com/jR33hWQcNL
— Unnecessary Roughness (@UnnecRoughness) January 16, 2023
Cephas is a Pittsburgh native, but wasn’t really recruited out of high school by Pitt or Penn State. He went to Kent State instead, and has starred there with the above stats. The 6’1 186lb wideout will instantly be inserted in the the Nittany Lions starting lineup and will be a top target of Allar.