FSU football: Malik McClain finds new home at Penn State

Former FSU football wide receiver Malik McClain surprised some fans last week when he announced he would enter the transfer portal.

It didn’t come as a surprise to those that pay attention to recruiting and how the Noles have completely transformed the wide receiver room in one season.

The position that was arguably the worst on the team in 2021 morphed into one of the most explosive units in the nation in 2022.

McClain saw his opportunities decrease last season with the emergence of Johnny Wilson and Mycah Pittman.

The addition of five-star Hykeem Williams and the return of Winston Wright, who sat out last season due to injuries suffered in a car wreck last spring, likely meant even fewer reps in 2023.

McClain is a talented wide receiver with a high upside and two years of eligibility left. News officially broke he’ll transfer to Penn State Wednesday afternoon:

Some sites chose to ruin the kid’s moment by tweeting he committed Tuesday before he put anything out himself. It’s interesting McClain will head up north, though they offered him while in high school.

He never visited to my knowledge, until they hosted him on an official visit a few days ago. South Carolina was also in the mix for his services.

Some sites chose to ruin the kid’s moment by tweeting he committed Tuesday before he put anything out himself. It’s interesting McClain will head up north, though they offered him while in high school.

He never visited to my knowledge, until they hosted him on an official visit a few days ago. South Carolina was also in the mix for his services. Penn State is without a current wide receiver coach and will have a new quarterback in 2023 with the departure of all-time passing leader Sean Clifford.

However, Penn State runs a balanced attack, passing the ball 46 percent of the time. Penn State’s leading receiver, Parker Washington, declared for the NFL Draft, and McClain will enter the unit was one of the more experienced receivers.

McClain is a hard worker, and Penn State got a gem out of the portal who will likely be able to join the program and go through spring camp. That should ease his transition and set him up for success in 2023.