The receivers room has not been Penn State football’s strong suit this season.
KeAndre Lambert-Smith (52 catches, 651 yards, four touchdowns) has done a solid job as the team’s new No. 1.
But Penn State doesn’t have a consistent No. 2 or No. 3 receiver, and that’s cited by many as the reason the team lost to Michigan and Ohio State again.
There’s no question that position coach Marques Hagans, head coach James Franklin and company will go after receivers in the transfer portal, and we have a while before portal season gets into full swing. But there’s already talk of Penn State being interested in a transfer WR from an SEC school.
According to Chris Hummer of 247Sports, Penn State’s one of the team’s expressing interest in Texas A&M transfer Raymond Cottrell.
Texas A&M WR Raymond Cottrell is currently ranked as the No. 1 overall player in @247SportsPortal. A look at what he's looking for in his next school and who's reached out so far. (VIP)https://t.co/OsFcsfStwm
— Chris Hummer (@chris_hummer) November 15, 2023
Cottrell announced his decision to enter the portal Sunday, the same day Texas A&M fired its head coach, Jimbo Fisher. Cottrell’s in his first college football season, and his career stats thus far amount to just one catch— a 13-yard touchdown against Louisiana Monroe.
But the 6-foot-3, 210-pounder has strong upside, and at this point, he’s the No. 1 player in the portal according to 247. He signed with Texas A&M as a four-star recruit out of Florida’s Milton High School after having initially been committed to Georgia.
In a scouting report published last December, 247’s Andrew Ivins described Cottrell as “A big-framed pass catcher that can create some separation.”
“No verified measurements available, but looks to be at least 6-foot-2 and over 205 pounds. Uses that extra weight to pick up chunks of yardage after the catch on Friday nights as he will stiff arm would-be tacklers or try and run right through them. Pretty technically sound as a route runner and appears to be a natural ball catcher, which is always encouraging. Shouldn’t exactly be viewed as a burner, but has shown that he can find extra gear and has gone as low as 11.13 in the 100-meter dash. Spent much of junior season lined up on the outside.”
