UNIVERSITY PARK, Pa. – Koby Howard has become one of Penn State’s most dangerous offensive weapons through three games, but perhaps the most important number attached to his breakout isn’t 344 receiving yards, 28.7 yards per reception or his 92.2 PFF receiving grade.
It might be 4:45 AM.
That is when Howard says his alarm goes off every morning.
By around 5:15 AM, he is headed to Penn State’s football facility, where the JUGS machine and extra work await. It is a routine that began in the spring and has increasingly attracted teammates.
For Penn State head coach Matt Campbell, that commitment explains why Howard’s emergence has been anything but surprising.
“From an offensive standpoint, I thought Koby went up and I don’t know if anybody can catch a ball as well as that guy,” Campbell said following Penn State’s 55-13 win over Buffalo.
Howard was nearly impossible for Buffalo to contain.
The sophomore produced 135 all-purpose yards and two touchdowns on just four first-half touches, helping Penn State build a 34-3 halftime advantage. Three receptions produced 115 yards, while his lone rushing attempt went for a 20-yard touchdown averaging nearly 30 yards every time the ball found his hands.
That is explosiveness Penn State hasn’t consistently had at wide receiver in recent seasons.
The rushing score offered another glimpse of how offensive coordinator Taylor Mouser can use Howard. On the play, Howard took an end-around toward the left boundary and found nothing but open grass, scoring the first rushing touchdown of his Penn State career.
For Howard, it was almost a return to his roots.
“I grew up playing running back,” Howard said. “That’s kind of why I’m built the way I am. Playing running back is fun, and I’m looking forward to doing more.”
Then came the play that demonstrated why Howard’s ceiling as a receiver is becoming so intriguing.
Later in the second quarter, quarterback Rocco Becht recognized the coverage. Howard saw the same thing, and knew the ball was coming his way.
The result was a 70-yard touchdown.
“As soon as I saw the coverage, I knew me and Rocco were on the same page,” Howard said. “The linebacker kind of dropped, so I knew I had to go over him. I knew Rocco was going to put it there.”
The 70-yarder became Penn State’s longest reception of the season, replacing Howard’s own 56-yard catch against Temple a week earlier.
There is a trend developing.
Howard opened the season with 161 receiving yards against Marshall, the most by a Penn State receiver since Parker Washington posted 179 against Ohio State in 2022. His 115 yards against Buffalo gave him his second 100-yard performance in Penn State’s first three games, no receiver had multiple 100-yard receiver games in the same season since Washington and Jahan Dotson in 2021.
Through three games, Howard has 12 receptions for 344 yards and two receiving touchdowns.
The efficiency numbers are even more impressive.
According to PFF, Howard’s 92.2 receiving grade trails only Miami’s Malachi Toney among Power 4 wide receivers. He has caught 12 of his 16 targets, averages 28.7 yards per reception and has generated a 158.3 passer rating when targeted. His 6.49 yards per route run jumps off the page, as does his 15.8-yard average depth of target.
Add Nittany Sports Now as a preferred source in Google! Click here to add us.Perhaps most tellingly, Howard has zero drops.
This isn’t volume production. Penn State isn’t feeding Howard 10 or 12 targets every Saturday. He has simply turned a relatively small number of opportunities into enormous gains.
Campbell believes the foundation was built long before September.
“He’ll probably beat three-fourths of the coaching staff there,” Campbell said of Howard’s morning routine. “He’ll be catching off the JUGS machine. He’s that kind of football player. He has this conviction to be great.”
Campbell calls it the difference between having “good intentions” and playing with “intentionality.”
Howard’s approach even extends to the smallest details of practice.
When he catches a five-yard pass during routes on air, he doesn’t consider the rep finished after five yards. He runs to the end zone.
“I try to mimic everything that I would do in a game,” Howard said. “I really feel like I can’t go out there and play hard if I’m not working hard.”
That mentality has apparently become contagious.
Campbell noted that teammates have begun joining Howard during his early-morning work, something he views as another indication of Howard’s growing influence.
“I think that’s what great players do,” Campbell said. “Great players bring others with them.”
Howard isn’t interested in spending much time celebrating his September numbers.
In fact, he characterized Penn State’s three nonconference games as something of a “warmup” before quickly adding that he meant no disrespect to the opponents.
Now comes Big Ten play.
“We have to get serious,” Howard said. “We have to be better than we were these last three games.”
For opposing defensive coordinators, Howard has already put enough on film to demand attention.
He can win vertically. He can turn manufactured touches into explosive plays. He has shown he can operate from the slot or outside, and Penn State is now willing to put the football in his hands as a runner.
Three games have transformed Howard from a player with nine career targets entering the season into one of the highest-graded receivers in college football.
The production looks sudden.
The 4:45 AM alarm suggests otherwise.
