Penn State receivers coach Marques Hagans spoke glowingly of Tyseer Denmark late Thursday morning.
Last season, many fans were hoping for Denmark to break out as a true freshman.
It didn’t quite happen that way.
Denmark did show flashes, catching his first touchdown pass late in the regular-season finale against Maryland at Beaver Stadium.
But that single catch represented half of his receptions and almost half of his yards.
In the team’s 46-11 season-opening win over Nevada this past Saturday, Denmark caught two passes for 17 yards.
That stat line doesn’t look like much. But considering Denmark has already matched last year’s catch total, it’s more impressive.
For Hagans, Denmark has a drastically different attitude, and that’s noticeable on the practice field.
“He’s smiling,” Hagans said. “He’s running around. Connected to his teammates but he’s competitive as shit now.”
FUN > NO FUN
Tyseer Denmark celebrates a team White touchdown.
Add Nittany Sports Now as a preferred source in Google! Click here to add us.For Hagans, enjoying the game is key for Denmark’s development.
“I think the thing that I’ve seen with Tyseer is he’s just more excited and having fun playing football this year,” Hagans said. “I think sometimes coming in as a freshman a lot of things are overwhelming and a lot of things you need to get adjusted and acclimated to. I think he’s more settled now. He has a better take on the offense, and I think his personality show a lot when he’s in practice. He’s smiling. He’s running around. Connected to his teammates but he’s competitive as shit now. He loves football. He loves to compete. Really excited for him and his development and growth. I just think he’s a guy who really embodies are room or toughness, loving football and just loving to compete. So I’m really excited for what his development has in store.”
DENMARK’S POTENTIAL
Redshirt freshman Tyseer Denmark looks to evade redshirt junior Kolin Dinkins.
Although Tyseer Denmark didn’t put up big numbers as a true freshman, that doesn’t mean he didn’t impress James Franklin.
“Tyseer has really flashed and done some really nice things,” Franklin said last season. “This is very, very different (from high school). So, there’s still an adjustment period going on. There’s a pretty significant buzz in the program about him.”
“Tyseer is probably the guy that right now is the closest to helping us.”
Denmark’s competitive nature that Hagans mentioned Thursday was evident to Franklin last year.
“It’s not one thing,” he said. “It’s route running, it’s being competitive, it’s his confidence with his hands and catching the ball, it’s his ability to retain information. He’s just doing enough good things that you think you’ll have a chance, but it’s not like it’s one specific thing that’s standing out.”
Penn State takes on FIU Saturday at noon from Beaver Stadium. The game will be broadcast on the Big Ten Network.
