Kansas State may have just got the big boost that they needed in the wide receiver room. On Saturday, Dante Cephas, a transfer from Penn State, announced that he is committed to play for the Wildcats in 2024.
🚨BREAKING: Penn State transfer WR Dante Cephas has committed to Kansas State, @K_StateOnline reports🟣⚪️
The former Kent State standout has 167 catches for 2,385 yards and 14 TDs in his career.https://t.co/Jtn1CB2LFf pic.twitter.com/1ieJnfaxdm
— Transfer Portal (@TransferPortal_) January 20, 2024
Cephas has accounted for 167 catches, 2,385 yards, and 14 touchdowns in five years while playing for Kent State and Penn State. This will be his final year of eligibility.
Dante Cephas Looking For a More Reliable Passing Game
Penn State was a good team last year. However, they weren’t the best passing team, only throwing for 2,795 yards, which ranked 74th in the nation. To make matters worse for Dante Cephas, the tight ends and running backs accounted for 1,280 of the receiving yards, leaving only 1,515 yards for the receivers.
Three-year starter Keandre Lambert-Smith took up nearly half of those yards himself, making it tough for Cephas, who was in his first season at Penn State, to get into any kind of rhythm in the offense. Still, he managed to start in six games and have 22 receptions for 246 yards and two touchdowns.
Cephas is looking for a more consistent role in an offense, and Kansas State seems like a perfect fit. Kansas State ranked 54th in passing yards, however, the big difference is that out of their 3,135 passing yards, 1,853 of those yards were to receivers, giving that position group much more opportunity.
Additionally, Avery Johnson, who is presumed to be the starter next season, tends to like to go to the receivers on the outside more than Will Howard did. Yes, the sample size is small, but early signs do suggest that this may be the perfect fit for Cephas.
Kansas State Desperately Needed a Top Receiver
Kansas Sttae’s top two pass catchers, Ben Sinnott, and Phillip Brooks, are both gone for next season after they both declared for the NFL Draft. Sophomore Jayce Brown is showing a lot of promise, but he is still young. This team desperately needed an experienced veteran who could be a mature leader in the locker room, and they may have found that with Dante Cephas, who will be entering his sixth season as a college athlete.
Even the quarterback Avery Johnson, who was a true freshman last year, may benefit by having Cephas work with him and share his experience to make him a better quarterback and how to understand a defense better.
Conclusion
The Big 12 is wide open and Kansas State is one of the teams that has a great opportunity to rise as a top team in the league. Much of their success, and quite possibly their ceiling will balance on how effective the passing game can be. Nobody is doubting the defense or run game, but the passing game has many question marks. Avery Johnson and Dante Cephas have a lot of potential to do something special this year if they can get on the same page.
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