Three Penn State players to watch out for in 2023
Penn State is set to return to Beaver Stadium in less than 70 days, and its expectations are sky-high for the 2023 season.
Here are three players to watch out for in this upcoming campaign.
KeAndre Lambert-Smith
KeAndre Lambert-Smith has been the ultimate “what if” throughout his three years in Happy Valley.
During the 2020 covid ridden season, the Virginia native brought in 15 passes for 138 yards. Despite the solid freshman stat line, concern grew as Lambert-Smith dropped just shy of 17% of the balls thrown to him.
Throughout 2021, Lambert-Smith’s production continued to result in inconsistencies. He tallied
three touchdowns and 521 yards on the campaign, but had six games where he recorded under 30 yards receiving and multiple drops.
Again this past season, the receiver broke out in a game and fell off the radar the next. However, the difference between this past year and others was that his breakouts came at significant times.
In the season opener against Purdue, Lambert-Smith broke away for one of Penn State’s fourth-quarter touchdowns that led to a 35-31 comeback victory.
In the final game of the regular season without Parker Washington on the field, he recorded five catches for 83 yards and a score in a 35-16 victory over Michigan State.
To cap off the year in the Rose Bowl against No. 8 Utah, he recorded three receptions for 124 yards and a massive 88-yard touchdown.
With Washington and Mitchell Tinsley moving onto the NFL, Lambert-Smith can become the No. 1 wide receiver.
Theo Johnson
After being a consensus four-star prospect, Theo Johnson entered Penn State with high expectations.
However, he has underperformed mightily in his first three seasons in Happy Valley but has a chance to break out in 2023.
Last season, Johnson was the second tight end on the Nittany Lions depth chart behind Brenton Strange. With Strange taking the majority of the targets and offensive coordinator Mike Yurcich’s play calling not revolving around Johnson’s talents, the junior was at an odd place on the team.
That oddity began to unravel as Yurcich adjusted his playcalling midseason, using Johnson as a vertical threat to pair alongside Strange.
After returning from injury and recording just two receptions for 19 yards throughout the first six games of 2022, Johnson showed out in front of an all-white crowd notching five catches for 75 yards and a score.
The Windsor, Ontario, native didn’t stop there, as he recorded 13 more catches for 234 yards and four touchdowns in the final six contests.
As Yurcich gains experience with Johnson being the guy at tight end, expect him to be another pivotal weapon for quarterback Drew Allar in 2023.
Coziah Izzard
The departure of PJ Mustipher to the Denver Broncos has raised many questions about Manny Diaz’s defense headed into the 2023 season.
Mainly, which Penn State defensive tackle can fill in the run gaps and maneuver their way through opposing offensive lines?
Coziah Izzard has yet to play over 300 snaps in his three years at Penn State but has displayed serious potential when on the gridiron.
The Columbia, Maryland, native appeared in every game in 2021, starting in seven of the 13 games. In the underwhelming season that saw the Nittany Lions go 7-6, Izzard recorded three tackles for loss, two sacks and a forced fumble.
In his redshirt sophomore year, Izzard presented his talents in a 41-17 loss to Michigan on the road. Against one of the best offensive lines in the country, he broke into the backfield, tallying a
sack and two tackles for loss.
Two weeks after its blowout against the Wolverines, Penn State played Ohio State at Beaver Stadium, and Izzard made a crucial third-down stop in the second quarter.
As reps remain open on the market for any one of the defensive linemen on the roster to take, Izzard could take a huge leap in 2023.
Micheal Bolger is a sophomore majoring in broadcast journalism. To contact him, please email mpb6233@psu.edu.
