Penn State's 10 most impactful ‘freshmen’: Parker Washington, Curtis Jacobs and more young players primed for big roles (2024)

STATE COLLEGE, Pa. — Penn State’s roster is littered with freshmen, but after the 2020 season, that label needs some clarifying.

Who is a freshman right now anyway? Last season did not count against players’ eligibility. Penn State’s official roster reflects that, with all players still listed by last year’s class. Penn State could opt to change the designations before the fall, but so far it has not. (Some other schools have progressed players’ classes as normal on official rosters.)

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For example, wide receiver Parker Washington made huge contributions last season as a freshman, starting all nine games and earning second-team Freshman All-America honors from The Athletic. But Washington still has four years of eligiblity remaining. On Penn State’s spring roster, he’s still listed as a freshman. There’s no uniformity to rosters right now because of the unusual circ*mstances that come with playing college football in a pandemic.

Which young players will make the biggest impact for Penn State in the 2021 season? For the sake of this exercise, there are a lot of “freshmen” to pick from. There are the true freshman January enrollees, the players who were true freshmen last year and even players who were redshirt freshmen last season and have contributed in two seasons, like Joey Porter Jr.

Here’s a projected starting lineup after spring practice, with a lot of second- and third-year “freshmen” expected to play significant roles:

Offense

QB: Sean Clifford (R-Jr.)
RB: Noah Cain (Soph.)
WR: Parker Washington (Fr.), Jahan Dotson (Jr.), KeAndre Lambert-Smith (Fr.)
TE: Brenton Strange (R-Fr.)
OL: LT Rasheed Walker (R-Soph.); LG Eric Wilson (Sr.) or Des Holmes (R-Jr.) or Sal Wormley (R-Fr.); C Mike Miranda (R-Jr.); RG Juice Scruggs (R-Soph.); RT Caedan Wallace (R-Fr.)

10. TE Theo Johnson (second year)

There’s another tight end on this list who will likely start more games in 2021, but Johnson should play a lot alongside Brenton Strange. If spring ball was any indication, Mike Yurcich’s offense won’t hesitate to play both tight ends at the same time. The 6-foot-6, 253-pound Johnson made one start and played in seven games as a true freshman. He got to participate in spring practice for the first time and said he feels “really good” about his role in Yurcich’s offense.

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“It’s really fun to play in because we’ll go in some heavy packages, 12 personnel, running the ball down their throat, and then we’ll just go out wide and start spreading the field out and start throwing the ball around,” Johnson said. “As a tight end, that’s something that you love to see because you get to really show all aspects of your game. You can block with the big boys and you can catch out wide with the corners and stuff.”

9. CB Kalen King (first year)

He’s the only true freshman on the list for now. After all of the praise King garnered this spring, when he led the defense in takeaways, it’s clear he’ll play this fall. Penn State moved cornerback Keaton Ellis to safety and cornerback Marquis Wilson to receiver in part because of King’s rise. King has put himself in contention to be one of the first backups on the field, and he could be the long-term answer for replacing Castro-Fields, who’s in his final season.

Expect King to play on special teams, much like countless impact freshmen have done before him. But Ellis and Wilson showed early on that young corners can see the field in a hurry, and King is poised to be the next one to do so.

8. WR KeAndre Lambert-Smith (second year)

He started five games last year and played in all nine, but Lambert-Smith’s impact during his true freshman season was limited to 15 receptions for 138 yards in a year in which the offense and quarterback play was erratic. The No. 3 receiver spot remains open, and it’ll likely be filled by either Lambert-Smith or Cam Sullivan-Brown. Sullivan-Brown missed time last season, which thrust Lambert-Smith into an extended role. His development from Year 1 to Year 2 will need to be significant for this offense to fill one of its most pressing needs and build depth at wide receiver.

7. RB Keyvone Lee (second year)

Lee took first-team reps at various points this spring with Noah Cain not yet a full participant in live action after Cain’s season-ending injury in the opener last October. Lee was one of the team’s unexpected brightest spots last season, as he showcased his tough, physical running style and led the Nittany Lions with 438 rushing yards. If Cain is the starter, Lee will push for plenty of work as the No. 2 back. The camp competition at running back is of the utmost importance, especially given that Cain has struggled with injuries in his first two years. It’s a deep backfield, and there’s reason to believe Lee is one of the two best players in that room.

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6. TE Brenton Strange (third year)

Strange has played in 11 games, and he made five starts last season as a redshirt freshman. One of the silver linings in an otherwise forgettable 2020 season was Strange being able to step in and gain a lot of experience. It’s one less transition for Penn State to worry about this year. Losing a tight end like Pat Freiermuth, who will get drafted within the first three rounds, is an adjustment for any offense, but new position coach Ty Howle inherits two talented playmakers to develop in Strange and Johnson. Having two tight ends capable of making an impact could help fill the void if the Lions struggle to find a reliable No. 3 wideout.

TE Brenton Strange (Mark Alberti / USA Today)

5. DT Hakeem Beamon (third year)

Beamon will have the chance to secure the starting spot next to PJ Mustipher. At 6-foot-3, 269 pounds, Beamon gives defensive line coach John Scott Jr. a versatile player with which to work. Beamon has “end-like qualities,” as Scott put it, because of his footwork and mobility, so they could move him around as he keeps growing into the spot. He’s played in 11 games and should be one of the most intriguing players on this defense in part because of his unique skill set. Penn State struggled against the run last season. Mustipher bulked up to provide more power in the middle, and Penn State will need Beamon to be disruptive for this defense to improve.

4. LB Curtis Jacobs (second year)

Jacobs showed this spring he’s ready to become a starter. Penn State has struggled to fill the sam linebacker spot, and Jacobs is an ideal fit for it. Jacobs emerging during his second season frees up Smith to play the will spot. In the two open spring practices, Jacobs was all over the place and kept jumping out. There’s no other player with similar skills to Jacobs who can cover like a safety and hit like a linebacker, which is why he was such a coveted recruit.

“This is a position I never really played before until college,” Jacobs said. “It was more about learning for me and getting better, like as good as I can, so now that I’m ready to play, I just got to keep getting better.”

3. RT Caedan Wallace (third year)

Penn State bumped Will Fries inside to guard last season. One reason was because it helped Fries’ NFL chances, but it was also because they needed to get Wallace on the field. Usually year three is when Franklin says linemen are physically and mentally ready to make that leap. Wallace is ahead of the curve, an he’s in a strong position to give Penn State two impact tackles, with the right tackle job all but locked down. The Nittany Lions might have a decision to make after this year if Wallace leaves for the NFL, as they could switch Wallace to left tackle.

2. CB Joey Porter Jr. (third year)

Porter started eight games last season as a redshirt freshman after playing in four games as a true freshman, so he’s a highly unusual redshirt freshman. Porter’s rise from backup corner to starter was a surprise last summer. He’s solidified himself in that role, and it puts Penn State in an excellent spot, with Porter returning opposite Castro-Fields and high expectations for a potential Porter-King tandem in 2022.

1. WR Parker Washington (second year)

Washington stepping up in a huge way, starting right away and finishing with 36 receptions for 489 yards and six touchdowns, was essential for an offense that struggled for a big chunk of last season. Taylor Stubblefield had one of the toughest coaching jobs on the team and helped Dotson become one of the Big Ten’s top receivers, while Washington had as strong of a freshman season as they could’ve hoped for.

Six other “freshmen” to know: DE Smith Vilbert (third year), DE Zuriah Fisher (second year), S Enzo Jennings (second year), S Tyler Rudolph (third year), LB Tyler Elsdon (second year), RB Caziah Holmes (second year)

(Top photo of Curtis Jacobs: Keith Srakocic / Associated Press)

Audrey Snyder has covered Penn State since 2012 for various outlets, including The Pittsburgh Post-Gazette, The Patriot-News and DKPittsburghSports. Snyder is an active member of the Association for Women in Sports Media (AWSM) and is the professional adviser for Penn State’s student chapter. Follow Audrey on Twitter @audsnyder4