Penn State football: 5 questions the Nittany Lions must answer in 2020
Penn State football has crazy upside in 2020 but isn’t without big questions.
Since arriving in Happy Valley, head coach James Franklin has kept Penn State football heavily in the mix with sustained success. The Nittany Lions are an impressive 42-11 over the past four seasons. But, though they have some movement on the coaching staff, the program is now looking to potentially make a leap in the 2020 season.
Make no mistake, the talent and potential for that to happen are abundantly present. The Nittany Lions have a possible star at running back, a promising young quarterback and a defensive unit that’s loaded with star power. The overarching question is if Penn State can put those pieces together to win the Big Ten or even get into the College Football Playoff.
On a more micro level, though, there are questions that Penn State football must answer if they’re going to reach their high ceiling. Specifically, these five questions should be at the forefront.
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5. Who emerges in the Penn State wide receiver room?
One of the best options in the Penn State aerial attack is going to be tight end Pat Freiermuth. He’s one of the best players at the position in the country and, coming off of a 2019 season who went for 43 receptions and 507 yards with seven touchdowns (all second on the Nittany Lions), should only get better in a possibly improved offense.
The question arises from the fact that there are virtually no proven players in the wide receiver group outside of one player following the loss of the team’s leading receiver, K.J. Hamler, last season. Jahan Dotson is that one player, who comes back after showing off as a big-play threat with 27 receptions for 488yards and five touchdowns.
Outside of Dotson, though, the Nittany Lions don’t have a wide receiver at their disposal who has more than 12 catches to their name thus far in their college football careers.
For Penn State, the simple truth is that they are likely going to be relying on unknowns to step up and into a starring role as it pertains to the wide receivers on the roster. That’s not necessarily a bad thing but it’s something worth monitoring as Franklin’s club will need guys to be reliable in the passing game outside of Freiermuth.