Receiver Devonte Ross 'Ready to Go' for Penn State's Opener Vs. Nevada

Penn State receiver Devonte Ross, one of the team's top offseason additions from the transfer portal, is "ready to go" for Saturday's opener against Nevada, coach James Franklin said. Ross dealt with an offseason injury that limited him early in training camp but regained his stride later in August.

"He had some bumps and bruises this summer that we were dealing with that impacted how involved he could be late in the summer and then also early in training camp," Franklin said Monday at his weekly press conference. "But he's ready to go. We'll probably rotate him a little bit more just because he hasn't had the full training camp and he hasn't had the full summer. But he's ready to go and has really looked good the last week or so."

Ross, a senior, played three seasons at Troy, where he led the Sun Belt Conference in touchdown receptions (11) last year. Ross was a 1,000-yard receiver in 2024, making 76 receptions in a year in which he topped 10 catches in three games.

Interestingly, Ross will open his second consecutive season against Nevada. He caught seven passes for 102 yards and a touchdown last August in Troy's 28-26 loss to the Wolf Pack.

Franklin said that Ross (5-10, 170 pounds) and fifth-year senior Liam Clifford will rotate at the receiver position, alongside likely starters Kyron Hudson and Trebor Pena. Ross also will factor in at punt returner with Pena and Zion Tracy, who took over the role last season.

Ross made headlines in December, when he committed to Penn State just days after the Nittany Lions' win over SMU in the College Football Playoff. He compiled a prolific all-purpose season at Troy, averaging 120.4 yards per game, and set the program's single-game record for receiving yards against Florida A&M (229). That included a 98-yard touchdown catch, the longest play in Troy's Division I history.

Ross also had an impressive game against Iowa, scoring all three of Troy's touchdowns: a 77-yard punt return and touchdown catches of 63 and 62 yards. He had five catches for 142 yards against the Hawkeyes. Franklin has mentioned that game as being one of the draws in pursuing Ross out of the transfer portal.

"So for him to do it against that type of opponent on this stage gave you a lot of confidence that that could translate to us," Franklin said in the offseason. "So I think that game carried a lot of weight with us, specifically because we have so much respect for what [the Hawkeyes] do on special teams and what they do on defense, and he had a ton of production in that game."

Ross does it again! 💥 @devonteross22 to the house for @TroyTrojansFB pic.twitter.com/ogxC20dpUq
— FOX College Football (@CFBONFOX) September 14, 2024

Franklin also identified his anticipated two-deep at receiver, which tracks with what the Nittany Lions have shown in training camp. Freshman Koby Howard will follow Hudson at one outside spot, while Pena and redshirt freshman Tyseer Denmark will be at the other. Franklin said he expects to target specific plays to certain receivers in the opener as well.

"I feel like we have a two-deep that we think we can win with," Franklin said.

The most inexperienced receiver of the group is Howard, a 4-star prospect in Penn State's 2025 recruiting class who emerged early as the top freshman receiver. However, Franklin has not greenlit Howard to potentially play a full season because he wants him to become a consistent contributor on special teams.

"[Howard's] really had a nice spring, had a really good summer and had a really good training camp, but we just need him to have a bigger role and special teams," Franklin said. "And I think that's one of the challenges culturally that everybody deals with. Receivers in high school pretty much are just returning punts. They're not blocking on special teams and tackling on special teams, and getting that group to have a bigger impact on special teams I think is important for their development."

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