Penn State Football: 3 signees who will have major impacts in 2022

3. Kaden Saunders

One thing Penn State football has done pretty consistently under Franklin is develop talented receivers and last season was no different with Jahan Dotson, who is being projected as either a late first or second-round pick in most mock drafts.

He went over 1,100 last season for the Nittany Lions and was one of the true bright spots for an offense that struggled to find consistency.

Penn State isn’t without wideouts though. Parker Washington is back after more than 800 yards last season plus KeAndre Lambert-Smith. Plus they have added a transfer in Mitchell Tinsley.

But the biggest addition to the wide receiver room this offseason is top-100 wideout Kaden Saunders, an explosive athlete out of Ohio who is going to be a dangerous weapon in Happy Valley.

Saunders is 5-foot-10, 172 pounds but he’s not just a slot guy. He’s got the speed to get deep and even if he doesn’t start right away, Franklin would be foolish not to get him involved in the offense as soon as possible.

You can’t coach speed and Saunders has it.  He also enrolled early, as did Singleton and Allar. Allar was close to making this list but asking him to come in right away and beat out Clifford is a lot.

But it does feel like that NFL situation when a team just drafted a highly-touted rookie and if Clifford struggles, as he has the past two seasons, it’s only a matter of time before Franklin sees what his five-star freshman can do.

Luckily, for whoever plays quarterback next season, Penn State football has no shortage of weapons, especially if Saunders and Singleton make the early impact that’s expected.