Penn State plans to get speedy wide receiver/return man KJ Hamler more touches | Joe Juliano

The plan for Penn State entering the 2019 season was to get more touches for wide receiver KJ Hamler, both in the passing game and on kickoff and punt returns, without wearing him out.

That made sense. The redshirt sophomore from suburban Detroit was timed in 4.27 seconds for the 40-yard dash in winter workouts. Called the “Human Joystick” in high school for his speed and his cutting ability, Hamler has the potential to break a long run any time he carries the football.

The numbers for the first three games of the season read: a team-high 10 catches, one rush, three kickoff returns and six punt returns, good for an average of 18.65 yards per touch and 124.33 yards per game, tying Hamler for 31st place in FBS all-purpose yards.

That’s not too bad, but Nittany Lions head coach James Franklin thinks it can be better.

“We have to get the ball in his hands a little bit more,” Franklin said Tuesday at his weekly media teleconference, “and then we just have to do a really good job of managing all that because when KJ goes, there’s no, like, three-quarter speed with him.

“That’s just how his personality is and how he practices and how he plays. We just have to manage that so that we are getting the most explosive version of KJ" in games.

Of Hamler’s 10 catches, six of them have been for 20 or more yards, including a 53-yarder against Pittsburgh in which he caught a 12-yard pass from Sean Clifford and bolted through the secondary. He has been targeted 21 times in the passing game, with a season-high nine against the Panthers, who limited him to three receptions.

Franklin likes to take shots downfield utilizing Hamler’s speed and Clifford’s strong arm. It worked against Idaho and Buffalo and not against Pitt, but he wouldn’t mind shorter, quicker throws which may be on display Friday night at Maryland.

“We’ve got to get him more touches,” he said. “That doesn’t have to be shots down the field. It can be short stuff as well, higher percentage things. Really with KJ, it’s about managing it all. It’s Sunday through Saturday. Where he’s at in practice in terms of reps, what we’re doing as kickoff and punt returner, we have to get him started a little bit more.”

Clifford doesn’t mind throwing early and often to Hamler.

“I think it’s like Coach Franklin said,” he said. “It’s a necessity because you have a great athlete like KJ, somebody that’s always going to be playing 100 percent on every play. I think that KJ’s one of the most explosive players in college football, and that kind of talent needs to get the ball a good amount of the time.

“I think that we’re going to do some things to make sure" Hamler gets the ball more.

Junior cornerback Tariq Castro-Fields sees Hamler close-up in practice and doesn’t envy what other defensive backs must contend with once the game starts.

“He’s definitely a special dude,” Castro-Fields said. “His quickness put together with his speed is dangerous. If you don’t get hands on him, he’ll just run by you. You have to do a good job of staying patient, using your hands when you need to and taking all the proper cutoff angles and stuff like that. What he does presents a real problem.”

Hamler has been rather bottled up in the return game, with season bests of 24 yards on kickoffs and 25 yards on punts. Franklin and Penn State fans keep waiting for him to break the big one.

“We’ve all seen if we can get him a little space that he’s got a chance to be successful,” Franklin said.