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NEW YORK, NEW YORK - DECEMBER 27: Koby Howard #3 of the Penn State Nittany Lions in action during the game against the Clemson Tigers in the 2025 Bad Boy Mowers Pinstripe Bowl - Clemson v Penn State at Yankee Stadium on December 27, 2025 in New York City. (Photo by Evan Bernstein/Getty Images) | Getty Images
Penn State wide receivers have only been good vibes the last couple years. Great on the field, great in recruiting, definitely no FREAK OUTS here. Nope, no sir.
Koby Howard (RS FR)
I don’t know if there was a player who represented the 2025 season more than Koby Howard. Despite being a three-star prospect (he had a nasty leg injury in high school that messed up his recruitment), Howard got rave reviews from the moment he stepped on campus. The Nittany Lions had brought in three veteran wide receivers — Kyron Hudson, Trebor Pena, and Devonte Ross — but there was real buzz about Howard making an impact.
And then he just, like, didn’t play? Even with the aforementioned veteran wide receivers being *OK* but nothing special, Howard just sat on the bench. He did eventually break into the rotation when Terry Smith took over, but Howard’s role was still pretty limited (7 receptions for 133 yards) with Penn State wanting to preserve his redshirt at the time.
Howard now heads into the 2026 season with the inside track on being a starter at wide receiver alongside Iowa State transfers Chase Sowell and Brett Eskildsen. Howard has clearly been working in the gym this offseason, transforming a wiry frame into one that looks more like a running back.
Karon Brookins (RS FR)
Speaking of redshirt freshman, Karon Brookins is the type of receiver that Penn State hasn’t had in a while. At 6-foot-5, 205 pounds, Brookins has elite size for the position and could prove to be a ball-winner down the field. I mean really, when was the last time Penn State had a receiver in the 6-foot-4, 6-foot-5 area really do anything meaningful? I think we have to go back to Juwan Johnson, whose breakout 2017 season was almost a decade ago.
Brookins is far from a lock for being a real rotational guy, but when you think of “breakout” candidates, his size is unique if he can put it all together.
Amarion Jackson (FR)
How about a true freshman for some help at wide receiver? Recruited as an athlete who most thought would end up at safety, Amarion Jackson starts his Pen State career at wideout and there’s a pretty good chance he sticks here too. At 6-foot-2, 190 pounds, Jackson has good size to go along with good athleticism to be a real player on the offensive side of the ball. Matt Campbell even admitted during the spring Jackson could play right away for the Nittany Lions:
While I wouldn’t expect Jackson to be a 30+ reception guy, the opportunity is certainly there to crack the rotation.
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