Future Penn State prospect Lyrick Samuel among ‘ascending’ receivers in 2025 class

Wide receiver remains a hot topic with Penn State fans. Following KeAndre Lambert-Smith’s decision to leave for Auburn, plus no new incoming players on the horizon, that room will remain the most talked about position from now until summer camp.

When you look at the Class of 2025, the Nittany Lions hold just one commitment currently from New York native Lyrick Samuel. At just under 6-foot-4, he brings much-needed length to the room, but as our scouts continue to learn more about him, there’s more to like than just that.

At the end of February, Samuel debuted in the On300 at No. 235 nationally. The move came just a week or so after he committed to the Nittany Lions. Now, following another rankings update last week, he’s climbed even higher, moving up more than 50 spots to No. 181 nationally.

So, what was it that led On3’s scouting staff to move Aliciene up in the most recent rankings? We caught up with Scouting Director Charles Power this week to discuss that move and much more.

Charles Power on Penn State commit Lyrick Samuel

Charles Power: Lyrick Samuel has a lot of things going for him the more I learn about him. First off, he should be a 2026 guy, age-wise. He’s extremely young. So, when you look at his development, it totally makes sense. This guy is 16 years old and he’s getting better and better at a rate that’s probably a little faster than some of the other receivers that we’ve known about for a while.

He has plus size already at 6-3 and a half and is going to continue filling out. Samuel has very long arms at close to 33 inches with an 80-inch wingspan. Not only that, but he’s already running the 40 at around 4.5 seconds and should continue getting faster. When you’re running 4.5s as a 16-year-old, with that size, I think he could easily be a 4.4, maybe even a high 4.3 guy once he gets into Penn State’s strength program.

Then, when you watch the film, you see that not only does this guy have a bunch of physical upside, but he’s making high-point catches and has very good ball skills. I think once he kind of hones in and just continues to learn the overall technical side of playing receiver, it’s all there. The physical traits and the catch radius are already there. So, he’s got a lot upside. He only caught 27 balls as a junior but also scored 11 touchdowns.

Link: What was behind Penn State commit Owen Aliciene earning a fourth star?

So, he’s a guy who is probably flying under the radar a little bit, being from New York City, but he’s a guy who’s definitely ascending at the moment. From catching up on what he’s done on the 7-on-7 circuit, he’s looked good there so far, too. So, I think there are multiple positive signs with Lyrick Samuel.

Also, I would add that receiver is a position that’s always congested. We rank more receivers than any other position. So, if you’re a top 40 receiver, and especially in that top 25 to 30, you’re a big-time player. That’s really kind of the equivalent of being like a top 10 or top 15 player at any other position. There’s just so many guys to go through,

So, I think that speaks to the kind of upside I think he has. I think what helps him as well is that he projects as a pure outside receiver. I think that gives him a little advantage just in terms of pure value because those guys just don’t grow on trees.

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