James Franklin and the Penn State Nittany Lions are gearing up for a matchup in the Orange Bowl against Notre Dame. With a win over Notre Dame, the Nittany Lions would advance to the championship game for the first time under Franklin.

Ahead of the big game, however, Franklin believes that a certain aspect of his team has been overlooked. The coach shouted out his wide receivers and explained that he felt like the room hasn’t been talked about enough.

“I think the development of our wide receiver room is something that hasn’t been talked about enough,” Franklin explained. “That is something that has turned into a strength.”

Entering the 2024 season, many questioned whether Penn State did enough to bolster the WR room. Julian Fleming was the only WR brought in via the transfer portal last offseason while losing KeAndre Lambert-Smith to Auburn, so much of the team’s plans revolved around improvement from the existing roster.

“You look at the year that Trey (Wallace) has had. We have felt like Trey’s been able to have those years the last couple of years but he’s had injuries,” the coach explained. “Omari (Evans) has really been coming on and playing to his superpower. Liam (Clifford), Julian (Fleming), you think about those catches Julian had against USC, we’re not here without those.”

Wallace has 46 catches for 723 yards and 4 TDs in 2024, leading all pass-catchers other than tight end Tyler Warren. Evans has also had a nice season, catching 21 passes for 415 yards and 5 TDs.

The coach also added that, even though these numbers aren’t “gaudy,” the receivers are making plays in other ways too.

“They’re not gaudy numbers, but you watch how Julian’s blocking,” Franklin said. “Where are the explosive plays coming from? The receivers owning all the responsibilities of being true wide receivers, and some of these guys may have gaudy numbers in terms of catching, but their run-game blocking and things like that are disgusting and NFL guys watch that and see that. Real football people know what to look for.”

Franklin’s squad will kick off against the Irish on Jan. 9 in the Orange Bowl.