Penn State Sports Magazine
Issue link: http://read.uberflip.com/i/1492675
5 2 M A R C H 2 0 2 3 W W W . B L U E W H I T E O N L I N E . C O M / / / / / / / T H E C L A S S O F 2 0 2 3 / / / / / / / / / / / / / / / / / / / / / / / / / / / / / / / / / / / / / / / / / / / / / Malik McClain didn't waste any time making an impression on his new team. The Florida State transfer was saluted by receivers coach Marques Hagans as the top performer among the wideouts on the first day of Penn State's winter workouts. McClain had been through a whirlwind transition just to get on the field with the Nittany Lions. He announced on Jan. 18, just as the winter transfer window was closing, that he was headed to Penn State, and he enrolled in classes that same day. McClain had to play catchup, because PSU's spring semester was already un- derway. But as head coach James Franklin noted on Feb. 7, the first day of winter workouts, McClain has adapted quickly to his new surroundings. "Malik has been impressive so far," Franklin said. "He tested extremely well in our baseline testing when these guys arrive. "He's also just always got a huge smile on his face. I know Coach Hagans had him as the competitor of the day, and that's been positive, and all the feed- back from the strength coaches as well as all of the guys has been really good with him." McClain spent two seasons with the Seminoles and has three years to play two more. He caught 16 passes for 190 yards and 2 scores as a fresh- man and made 17 catches for 206 yards and 3 touchdowns this past season in a crowded position room for the ACC program. He entered the transfer portal on Jan. 11. A Daphne, Ala., native, McClain graduated from IMG Academy in Bra- denton, Fla., where he was a four-star prospect with scholarship offers from Alabama, Texas A&M, Miami and Ole Miss, among others. His decision to leave Florida State came after he was in and out of the starting lineup and also dealt with at least one injury in 2022. McClain was rated as the No. 50 wide receiver prospect in the transfer portal this year and given a three-star grade by On3. Franklin said his positive attitude has helped him get off to a strong start at PSU. "Malik is a very mature kid," the coach said. "He's always got a smile on his face, so I think he's been received really well." — Greg Pickel Penn State's pursuit of a top-level transfer receiver took several twists and turns, but one name remained at or near the top of the list from the start. On Jan. 15, the Nittany Lions got the news from Dante Cephas that they had been hoping to hear: The Kent State star plans to finish his college career in Happy Valley. Cephas will remain at Kent State for the spring semester to finish his under- graduate degree before transferring to PSU in the summer. Ranked by On3 as the No. 9 receiver in the transfer portal, Cephas visited Pitt and UCLA in December, and he also had offers from Colorado, Georgia, Kansas, Maryland, Miami, Oklahoma, Virginia Tech and West Virginia, among others. Originally from Penn Hills High in Pittsburgh, Cephas arrived at Kent State as a three-star prospect accord- ing to the On3 Consensus rankings in the class of 2019. He was a high school teammate of two current Nittany Lion seniors, cor- nerback Daequan Hardy and running back Tank Smith. That trio helped Penn Hills win the PIAA Class 5A state title in 2018. I n De ce m b e r, H a rdy a n d S m i t h hosted Cephas during his official visit. That trip helped rekindle memories of his time as a recruit. "I went there in high school a lot," Ce p h a s to l d O n 3 i n De ce m b e r. " I watch the [Penn State] games a lot. I got to see all the new facilities they've got." During his four seasons with the Golden Flashes, Cephas racked up 145 receptions for 2,139 yards and 12 touch- downs. He averaged 14.8 yards per catch and helped Kent State reach the Mid-American Conference title game a year ago. When Cephas joins the Nittany Lions for his redshirt senior season, he's hop- ing he will have a chance to show NFL scouts what he can do. "NFL development is most impor- tant to me, because that's where ev- erybody wants to ultimately go," he told On3. "You don't want to land there and struggle. I think that will be key for me, making sure when I get there I'm already rolling and have the confidence." — Sean Fitz Dante Cephas Set To Join Former Penn Hills Teammates At PSU Malik McClain Makes Smooth Transition To Penn State's Program THE MCCLAIN FILE ✪ ✪ ✪ ✪ ✪ WR | Jr. 6-4 | 200 Florida State IMG Academy (Fla.) Daphne, Ala. THE CEPHAS FILE ✪ ✪ ✪ ✪ ✪ WR | R-Sr. 6-1 | 175 Kent State Penn Hills High Pittsburgh, Pa.