After just the third game of the 2004 football season, expectations were already high for Mark Rubin.
Though Rubin was just a true freshman wide receiver at the time and had yet to notch a reception at the collegiate level, then-Penn State cornerback Alan Zemaitis made a bold prediction. He said Rubin and then-true freshman quarterback Anthony Morelli would be breaking Penn State records in the very near future.
Rubin would finish the season with only 16 receptions for 187 yards and no touchdowns. Initially, the numbers aren't eye-popping, but that was a year in which the receiving corps was as shallow as a rain puddle. At the time, it was tailback Tony Hunt (39 receptions, 334 yards) and the do-it-all Michael Robinson (33 receptions, 485 yards and three touchdowns) who were the best options for then-quarterback Zack Mills, not true receivers.
But then, before the 2005 season, a dislocated right ankle sidelined Rubin for the year. While he was gone, the passing game moved on without him. With the addition of top recruits Derrick Williams and Justin King and the emergence of Deon Butler and Jordan Norwood, the puddle became more of a lake.
Though King has since been moved primarily to defense, this year's group of receivers is working hard in the spring to be just as strong, if not better than the last.
With a new starting quarterback in the mix in Morelli, the receivers have been meeting with the new signal-caller on some weeknights to work on timing.
Morelli isn't the only quarterback working with the receivers, though. Former Penn State quarterback and current wide receivers coach Mike McQueary has given Williams and Co., a quarterback's view of the position. And while the two positions are different, they are inherently tied together.
"We're lucky enough we have a very smart receiving corps," Butler said recently. "Either way you want to teach it to us, from a wideout perspective, from a quarterback perspective, we're going to pick up on it."
According to both Butler and Williams, McQueary has given his athletes a great amount of freedom in their development. He tells his receivers what results he wants, and then it's up to them to deliver those results any way they know how. It's an approach the receivers like.
"That's what makes a great coach," Williams said recently. "Not trying to coach too much -- giving some freedom."
But one thing a coach can't teach is depth. Luckily for the Nittany Lions, they've got plenty.
As Butler, last year's leading receiver in receptions (37), yards (691) and touchdowns (9) put it, if defenses focus too much on one player, there's always somebody else "waiting in the wings."
"There's a whole bunch of other guys," the rising redshirt sophomore said. "If you don't pay attention to them, they'll definitely make you pay."
With much of the opposing defenses' attention centered on the playmaking Williams last year, other players made defenses ante up. If it wasn't the cornerback-turned-receiver Butler making big plays downfield, it was the rail-thin, rising sophomore Norwood (listed at 160 pounds) coming up with sure-handed grabs.
Just like last year, the group features mainly smaller, speedy receivers. It's debatable as to who is actually the quickest.
"The receivers -- there's a lot of speed there. Let's it put it that way." King said. "I've got to mind my P's and Q's. If Deon or Derrick gets you on one step, they're [gone]."
Most of the group is young -- either redshirt freshmen or sophomores -- but that's not a problem for Butler.
"We don't get caught up too much in what year you are," Butler said. "I mean, Derrick's vocal, and he's only a sophomore."
Butler and Norwood will again be the top two options behind Williams, who missed the last five games of last season with a broken left arm, but is back at full strength this spring.
After those three, Butler doesn't see any less talent. Rising redshirt freshman wide receivers Kevin Cousins and James McDonald are practicing well this spring, and incoming freshman Chris Bell could fill some roles next year. Throw in veteran receiver Terrell Golden, and the Lions don't just have a logjam at wide receiver -- they have the Hoover Dam.
"We're all going to push each other," Butler said. "I feel confident that I can work hard and continue to get some playing time."
And with that depth, where does that leave Rubin?
The redshirt sophomore could still be catching passes from Morelli in Saturday's Blue-White game, as Zemaitis predicted, but they'll have to be in the form of interceptions -- he was moved to safety after the 2005 season.
