Penn State Football: 5 Takeaways from 2018 season

2. Dropped passes hurt the offense

Penn State fired wide receivers coach David Corley after a very disappointing season from the team’s wide receivers. This was Corley’s only season on Penn State’s staff after holding the same position at Army last season.

It was not a great fit since he was hired to coach running backs this season and was switched to wide receivers once former wide receivers coach Josh Gattis left for Alabama. Army only had ten pass completions the entire season when he coached at Army, so he was just not a good fit for the position at Penn State.

Now, Penn State will look to hire a new assistant to coach a group of receivers that has a lot of potential. Juwan Johnson has already made highlight plays and just needs to stop dropping passes. K.J. Hamler is already a star and has the speed and playmaking ability to have 1,000 receiving yards next season.

My projected breakout candidate for 2019 among wide receivers is former top recruit Justin Shorter, who suffered an injury that kept him out early in the season. After redshirting in 2018, he will play a major role next year along with guys like Jahan Dotson, who showed spurts of productivity in the eight games he played this season.