Former Florida State Wide Receiver Malik McClain has announced his commitment to Penn State. With the Nittany Lions losing many players to the 2023 NFL Draft, it has been important for the team to do well with recruiting receivers. Malik McClain is the second wide receiver to commit to Penn State since Sunday, the same day the team fired their wide receivers coach. Here is more on McClain and how he can do well with this Nittany Lions’ offense in 2023.
Malik McClain Florida State
McClain spent two years at Florida State before entering the transfer portal. In those two years, the wide receiver has had 33 receptions for 396 yards and five touchdowns, according to Sports Reference. In the 2022 Season, Malik McClain got more opportunities, playing in 13 games, as opposed to 20221 where he only played in 11. A large part of this was that in 2022, Florida State participated in the Cheez-It Bowl, winning 35-32 over Oklahoma. Florida State ended their season 10-3, with a 5-3 conference record.
In this year’s bowl game, McClain had just two receptions for 14 total yards, according to ESPN. Neither of those receptions was for a touchdown. The top receiver in that game was Johnny Wilson, who is the same year as McClain. That being said, it is understandable that McClain would want to move on from Florida State and head to Penn State, where he could get more opportunities.
Malik McClain’s Potential at Penn State
In 2023, the Penn State Nittany Lions may not have one receiver expected to get the most snaps. The top two wide receivers for the Nittany Lions were Parker Washington and Mitchell Tinsley. The two of them have officially declared for the 2023 NFL Draft. The other wide receiver on the team is KeAndre Lambert-Smith, who is a great receiver, but he will not be able to carry the receiving core on his own. Penn State will be a great place for McClain to play in 2023.
According to Audrey Snyder, Penn State reporter of The Athletic, McClain attended IMG Academy. While her played there, he was teammates with Michigan’s quarterback JJ McCarthy, as well as Penn State’s running back Kaytron Allen. Already having chemistry with one of the players on the Nittany Lions will help McClain’s experience, transitioning into this Penn State offense.
In 2022, the Nittany Lions had a total of 3,282 receiving yards, according to ESPN. The third receiver was Lambert-Smith with 24 receptions for 389 yards. Many of his receptions did come after Washington’s season ended early with an injury. It is safe to say that if all goes to plan, McClain will be a great target in this offense in 2023.
Penn State will have a young team next season, also starting a new quarterback with Drew Allar. While also looking for a new wide receivers coach, this Nittany Lions team has a lot of potentials ahead of the 2023 season. It will be exciting to see how Malik McClain fits into this new offense.
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