Malik McClain’s Penn State stint never matched the hype, but the former transfer receiver has found a new path to the NFL.
The New York Jets signed McClain earlier this week, and after spending training camp with the team and landing on the practice squad last month, the 23-year-old is now on New York’s 53-man active roster.
For McClain, that’s a solid start for an undrafted rookie who bounced around quite a bit in college. He started at Arizona State from 2021-22, then transferred to Penn State before the 2023 season in a move that was supposed to help a Penn State offense looking for more help around first-year starting quarterback Drew Allar.
At the time, McClain looked like the kind of portal pickup that could matter. He came in as a highly regarded high school recruit with a 6-foot-4 frame that hinted at real upside. Penn State hoped he could become part of the answer at receiver.
It didn’t play out that way.
McClain opened his Penn State career with promise, catching four passes for 58 yards and a touchdown in a season-opening win over West Virginia. He also picked up the team’s special teams player of the week honor.
After that, though, the production dried up. He managed just two more catches for 13 yards the rest of the year and finished the season with 13 appearances, spending most of his time on special teams as the year went on.
He moved on after that one season in Happy Valley and returned to Arizona State, where he spent two seasons.
Across five college seasons, McClain finished with 72 receptions for 993 yards, a 13.8-yard average per catch, and eight touchdowns.
Now he gets another shot, and it may come in the area where he can carve out the best role: special teams. As a coverage team gunner, McClain has a chance to lean on his athleticism and build an NFL career from there.
In Other News...
Penn State Fans Have A New Reason To Dread Wisconsin Week
Penn States Big Ten opener against Wisconsin already had the feel of an early barometer game, and now there is a viewing wrinkle on top of it. The matchup is slated to stream on Peacock, which means fans who want to watch it will need a subscription rather than a standard TV broadcast, adding another layer of inconvenience to a week that already carries plenty of attention in State College.
The timing is notable because Penn State has not exactly been surrounded by marquee television treatment this season, and the first few home crowds have shown some softness for nonconference games, including the Buffalo matchup that drew the smallest attendance at Beaver Stadium since 2019. An NBC broadcast is coming in week six, but before that arrives, Wisconsin week has turned into the kind of date Penn State supporters may already be bracing for. [Read more 🡒]
Penn States First Big Ten Lineup Under Matt Campbell Comes Into Focus
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That unofficial chart is expected to stay fluid from week to week, with updates coming as roles and availability change. Under Big Ten rules, player availability designations will still be attached each week, giving fans at least a clearer picture of who is in and who is out even if the full pecking order remains an internal matter. [Read more 🡒]
Penn State Faces One Big Availability Question Before Wisconsin
Penn State got a clearer look at its roster picture on the eve of the Wisconsin game when both schools released their second Big Ten availability reports. The list still leaves the Nittany Lions managing a few key absences, with Max Granville already ruled out for the season and Koby Howard still unavailable indefinitely, adding another layer of uncertainty to a week that had already been defined by injuries.
Wisconsin, meanwhile, moved a step closer to having some offensive pieces back in place. Running back Abu Sama III and wide receiver Malachi Coleman were listed as probable after being questionable earlier, a small but meaningful shift for a Badgers team trying to find some stability heading into the matchup. For Penn State, the bigger issue is less about who is definitely missing and more about how much depth it will need to lean on once the game kicks off. [Read more 🡒]