PHILADELPHIA, Pa – Penn State has the No. 3 overall graded receiving corps in the country, according to Pro Football Focus (PFF), with an 82.8 grade, trailing only USC and Miami.
While Koby Howard might be generating many of the headlines through the first two weeks, Chase Sowell has excelled in his role.
The Iowa State transfer delivered his best performance in a Penn State uniform Saturday, catching five passes for 58 yards and a touchdown in the Nittany Lions’ win over Temple.
His 16-yard touchdown reception on Penn State’s opening drive of the second half was Sowell’s first touchdown in the Blue and White and the seventh of his college career.
Through two games, Sowell has seven receptions for 91 yards and a touchdown on nine targets. PFF has given him a 74.7 receiving grade, while his overall offensive grade sits at 76.1 with Saturday’s performance earning him a 74.8 receiving grade.
It’s production that Penn State envisioned when Sowell followed head coach Matt Campbell from Iowa State to Happy Valley.
Sowell’s college journey has been anything but conventional.
He began at Colorado in 2022 before spending two seasons at East Carolina, where he emerged as a legitimate receiving threat. Sowell led ECU with 47 receptions for 622 yards in 2023 before taking another step forward in 2024, averaging 19.9 yards per reception with 678 yards and three touchdowns.
That production eventually took him to Iowa State.
In 2025, Sowell caught 32 passes for 500 yards and two touchdowns, averaging 15.9 yards per reception and earning Big 12 Offensive Newcomer of the Year honors.
Now reunited with Campbell and offensive coordinator Taylor Mouser, Sowell doesn’t necessarily need to be Penn State’s featured receiver to make a significant impact.
He showed that against Temple.
Sowell’s afternoon wasn’t perfect, either. He acknowledged a missed opportunity and immediately put the responsibility on himself.
Early in the second quarter, Penn State quarterback Rocco Becht in the shotgun in Temple territory saw a streaking Sowell and took the deep shot. The throw was on point and one Sowell got his hands on, but it was a bad drop that could have been six points for the Nittany Lions.
“One of them, I got to catch the ball,” Sowell said when discussing Penn State’s offensive mistakes. “So, that’s the main one.”
Add Nittany Sports Now as a preferred source in Google! Click here to add us.Instead of allowing the mistake to linger, Sowell said he needed to reset mentally.
“I was just so hyped for the game that I didn’t go back to my process,” Sowell said. “Then after that drop, I had to go back to my process, calm myself down, and that’s when things kind of started settling down.”
The response was exactly what Penn State needed.
Sowell eventually found the end zone and helped an offense that struggled at times regain its footing. His five catches came on seven targets, and he accounted for two contested catches, according to PFF.
More importantly, his comments afterward revealed a veteran receiver who understood what went wrong.
“We just weren’t as focused as we usually are,” Sowell said.
That might be one benefit of having someone with Sowell’s experience.
He has played at four programs and has accumulated 121 career receptions for 1,911 yards and seven touchdowns. He has produced explosive plays, 100-yard games and significant production in multiple offenses.
Penn State isn’t asking him to carry its passing attack.
Howard can generate explosive plays and headlines. Other weapons will have their opportunities as well.
Sowell simply needs to continue doing what he has through two games: win his assignments, provide Rocco Becht with a dependable veteran target and capitalize when the football comes his way.
For a receiving corps that PFF already views as one of the best in college football, that role has plenty of value.
And through two weeks, Sowell is filling it exceptionally well.
