STATE COLLEGE, Pa. — Penn State wide receiver Kaden Saunders was honest about the challenges he faced during his first year of college football.
“You got to study the playbook and take care of your body,” Saunders said of lessons he learned as a freshman. “Your body is gonna hurt 90 percent of the time, but it’s about what you do in your off time. Cold tubs, hot tub contrast, stretching — just finding a routine that works for you and running with it.”
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Saunders, the No. 55 prospect in the 247Sports Composite in 2022, said he arrived last winter “out of shape” and learned he had to change his eating habits. He spent time with the football team’s dietitian and cleaned up his diet. He looked at everyone else’s form when his teammates power cleaned and realized his was “terrible.”
Saunders, now listed at 5 feet 10, 177 pounds, said he hadn’t power cleaned in high school.
“Coach Franklin tells us all the time everybody’s journey is gonna be different,” Saunders said. “Seeing everybody in my class have success right away didn’t get me feeling some type of way. I was excited for them. With time, I’m going to be right there on the field with them.”
Thirteen months after enrolling, Saunders now has the wisdom that’s only gained by going through an entire year at Penn State. He’s found a routine that works for him and hasn’t been shy about asking his roommate, quarterback Drew Allar, questions about the playbook. Saunders caught two passes against Ohio and appeared in three games. He ran the scout team for a few weeks and started to turn a corner as he got to face Penn State’s top defensive backs — all while knowing he’d preserve his redshirt.
“It made it more like a game for me,” Saunders said. “Going against Joey (Porter Jr.), Kalen (King), Johnny (Dixon), Marquis (Wilson) when he was here, Daequan Hardy, it was fun.”
This winter, if Allar wants to throw, Saunders wants to be there catching passes for him. The two used to do that during private training sessions as high schoolers back home in Ohio, where Saunders’ hands stung after catching his first rocket ball from Allar.
With Penn State’s receiving corps starting with a clean slate and an open path to the field after the arrival of Marques Hagans, Saunders will be one of the more intriguing players this offseason. He insists he’s the quickest receiver on the roster. He also smiled and said he would like to be in consideration as the punt returner. That spot is open after Parker Washington, Mitchell Tinsley and Wilson moved on.
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“Kaden has grown a lot,” Allar said. “He’s always asking me questions, in our room, on the field. We have a really good relationship. … I can tell he’s a lot more comfortable than he was last year. He’s playing fast. He’s playing fluid, and he’s gotten a lot stronger in the weight room.”
Here is a collection of notes on the offensive players in Penn State’s 2022 class after they met with reporters Tuesday. Read notes on the defense here.
• Penn State’s offensive line has a good problem to sort out. Left tackle Olu Fashanu has a chance to be one of the top tackles in college football, while Drew Shelton, who was thrust into action as a freshman when Fashanu was hurt, can either stay on the left side as a backup or push for the starting job at right tackle. Caedan Wallace is back at right tackle, so where Shelton works this spring will be interesting.
“I’m a little more comfortable on the left side right now, but that’s because it’s all I did last year,” Shelton said. “It’s something that comes with reps. … It’s different mentally because you have to flip everything in your head, all the plays in your head.”
• Running back Nicholas Singleton said he and the coaching staff want him to catch more passes next season. The Big Ten Freshman of the Year said he knows he needs to work on his route running, and James Franklin has encouraged him to get work running routes with the wide receivers.
Per TruMedia, Singleton was targeted 17 times as a freshman. He caught 11 passes for 85 yards, including a touchdown against Michigan State. Fellow freshman tailback Kaytron Allen was targeted 24 times and caught 20 passes for 188 yards and a touchdown against Ohio State.
• Penn State typically closes winter workouts with testing in the weight room and NFL combine events like the 40-yard dash. That will likely happen again before spring practice starts in mid-March. Singleton said when he ran the 40 last spring, he was clocked at 4.39 seconds.
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• Franklin said several times Tuesday during his news conference that leaders need to emerge on this team. That means players like Singleton and Allar, regardless of age, will have to step into those roles. Singleton said he’s part of the team’s leadership council and that running backs coach Ja’Juan Seider has been telling him to “open my mouth more.”
“You can’t be one person one day and a different person the next day,” Allar said. “You have to come in with the same mindset every day, be the same person every day, put in the work every day, and I think teammates will over time gain respect for that.”
• Cristian Driver spent most of last season playing cornerback — a position he had never played before — but has fully transited to wide receiver. Changing positions was always an option, and Driver said he approached Franklin around November and asked if he could play where he’s most comfortable and confident. After the Rose Bowl, Driver made the switch.
Not everyone has a father who was an All-Pro wide receiver — Packers great Donald Driver — and not everyone comes from a high school where an All-Pro — Cowboys great Jason Witten — was the head coach. Driver’s willingness to work at corner and learn the position should only help him as he flips back to the position he’s had his heart set on.
“What I’ve been trying to focus on most is just getting some film study in and getting more into the playbook with the quarterbacks,” Driver said. “If you build that bond with your quarterback, it’s just easier to transition it onto the field.”
• Omari Evans made the transition from high school quarterback to college wide receiver in the span of a few months. He was one of 10 freshmen to burn a redshirt. Of the five receivers Penn State signed in the 2022 class, he was the lone one to play more than four games. He was targeted 10 times and caught five passes for 55 yards. He also had a 7-yard rush and returned two kicks. From the outside, it was initially surprising that Evans was able to see the field so quickly. He wouldn’t describe it that way.
“At the end of the day, it’s just football. I’m an athlete,” Evans said. “I have a lot of speed. You just gotta catch the ball.”
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• Penn State signed three tight ends in the Class of 2023, and Jerry Cross is coming off a redshirt. It’s again a loaded unit with Theo Johnson and Tyler Warren at the top of the depth chart. Cross was one of the leaders in the 2022 class, and after his first season was spent working through an injury, he is back participating in winter workouts.
“I’ve gotten better with the setback,” said Cross, who added that he was able to lift a lot last season even when he couldn’t suit up for practices or games. “I got stronger. I got bigger. I got faster. I’ve learned from the older guys and I’m continuing to learn from them.”
(Top photo of Kaden Saunders: Gregory Fisher / Icon Sportswire via Getty Images)
