Pwn The Portal: Florida State Transfer WR Malik McClain

Like Jay Bilas at the NBA Draft, expect to hear the word ‘UPSIDE’ repeated ad nauseam when announcers and pundits analyze Penn State’s newest out-of-market roster addition. 

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Score one for the Shields Building.

The rusty bike chain on Penn State’s Transfer Portal Schwinn during 2021-22 open recruiting windows, James Franklin’s calculated off-season lobbying about the University Park campus’ sluggish admissions process WD-40’d (verb) the turnaround time needed to get prospective student-athletes accepted and registered for classes just a year later.

Case in point: Malik McClain.

According to Sean Fitz of On3, the former Florida State sophomore receiver officially entered the Transfer Portal on Wednesday, January 11^th, took an official visit to Penn State on Sunday, January 15^th, and attended his first class at Penn State on Wednesday, January 18^th. No word if he was 10 minutes early or seated in the front row.

Regardless, from a big-picture perspective, McClain’s fast-tracked admittance signals a seismic philosophical shift between the old president/AD regime and the new president/AD regime. Whereas the Eric Barron/Sandy Barbour era often seemed reactive – even borderline combative – toward the rapidly-evolving state of college athletics (take Penn State’s initial half-hearted approach to NIL, for example), new leaders Neeli Bendapudi and Patrick Kraft have taken an aggressive, proactive stance when it comes to equipping Franklin with everything needed (within reason) to compete against college football’s elite.

As for the here and now, McClain’s immediate addition to the roster ensures the gifted but still green receiver will have the entire spring to find his skis in Mike Yurcich’s passing game, develop chemistry with 2023 Heisman winner Drew Allar (no pressure), and adapt to instruction from new WR coach (insert name here) – luxuries fellow portal pass-catcher Dante Cephas can’t partake in.   

A consensus 4-star prospect from pigskin processing plant IMG Academy, McClain was offered/recruited by Penn State as a high schooler before ultimately landing at Florida State. After igniting the hype machine with a breakout spring game during his first semester on campus, McClain ultimately fell short of establishing himself as the cornerstone or even a key cog in Mike Norvell’s vertical attack, settling instead for a complementary role that never really expanded from Year 1 to Year 2…hence the decision to transfer.

In fact, during his brief 33-catch, 396-yard, 5-TD stint in Tallahassee, McClain was never targeted more than 6 times in a single game. Because of that, we took a different approach evaluating McClain compared to our writeups/videos on prospects of portals past – clipping crumbs from nearly a dozen Florida State games rather than leaning on 3 or 4 high-volume, high-production contests in order to form an opinion. Yeah, it’s a bit of a bummer…but WAIT!…before you click off and your fingers venture toward some other time-suck Internet outpost, what if we entice you to hang out for another 1,200 words by teasing that while we only have sprinkles of McClain in-action to offer up, many of those sprinkles are absolutely spectacular!

Told you.

Slot Fade against a well-disguised Cover 3 look. Not sure if FSU QB 13-Jordan Travis thought he had McClain (arrowed) isolated vs. an inferior Nickel back, or if he realized Boston College had too many dudes on the field so he figured, ‘What the heck,’ and chucked it up there, but in either scenario McClain’s freakish athleticism bails him out of a bad decision. If you watch the play again, it appears as if BC cornerback 0-CJ Burton chose not to contest at the catchpoint because he didn’t think there would be a catchpoint. To us, it looks like Burton’s trying to pull off a miraculous tip-toe interception on an errant overthrow….that is until McClain pogos skyward like that one gravity-defying, pure-cheese animation from Super Tecmo Bowl.

Wait, let me find it…

…this one!

Standing 6-foot-4, McClain’s size offers quarterbacks a big, inviting target in same mold as former PSU receivers Juwan Johnson, Saeed Blacknall, and Justin Shorter. Unlike that trio, though, McClain’s overall catch radius is far more expansive thanks to his enormous wingspan, easy leaping ability, better-than-average hands, and supreme vertical and horizontal body control.

Horizontal body control? The heck is that?  

 Glad you asked, Lazy Transition Device.

In a vacuum, this is one of the most ridiculous catches you’ll ever see. In context – a meaningless touchdown that inflated a 4-score lead into a 5-score lead before halftime vs. a sacrificial, schedule-filler Sun Belt school – it’s still pretty cool, actually. Despite McClain’s limited catalog of data points, this long, lanky, but fluid athlete has already proven he’s fully capable of stretching/elongating a quarterback’s typical margin of error when it comes to accuracy.

If you’re looking for a Catch Radius/Ball Skills comp, think Mike Gesicki.

One more for good measure.

If we go back to December 2020, nearly every Signing Day scouting report about McClain mentions how the prospect’s frame appeared capable of adding substantial mass once he entered a regimented strength training/nutrition program. Well, McClain entered Florida State weighing 201 pounds and left Florida State weighing 200 pounds…so #bulkingSZN was a bust.

And yet, despite McClain’s sleek, wiry stature, when you turn on the digital tape there are plenty of clips showcasing his underrated physicality. On certain reps, like this 15-yard touchdown vs. Syracuse in 2022 where he figuratively submerges Orange DB 24-Jeremiah Wilson beneath the whatever-they’re-calling-the-Carrier-Dome-these-days turf, McClain is a straight up bully.

Still relatively raw as a route runner (more on this later), McClain’s basketball background from high school occasionally shows up on film when he fails to separate. For instance, on this sloppy stick route on 3^rd and 7 (below), McClain boxes out the Clemson defender like he’s battling for a rebound under the rim, extending his Go-Go Gadget arms and Vise-Grip hands to secure the catch. At the point of reception, McClain is juuuust short of the line to gain but manages shift his momentum and backpedal for an extra 3-4 yards with a 190-pound cornerback koala-ing (verb) his waist. Impressive.

Similar deal here: McClain can’t shake Florida DB/Parker Washington’s old high school teammate 24-Avery Helm but still salvages this designed sprint out pass by shielding the ball from the defender with his body.

What’s cool is that McClain’s physicality isn’t just reserved for when the ball is in his hands. Not only is McClain a “willing blocker” – a well-worn scouting term – he’s an eager blocker who seems to enjoy being a jerk to smaller DBs, as seen below.

According to PFF, McClain’s 70.5 run blocking grade was the 3^rd highest on Florida State’s entire 2022 roster regardless of position. For comparison, only KeAndre Lambert-Smith (72.7) graded out better than McClain as a run blocker on Penn State’s 2022 roster.

In this clip (below), McClain ends up eating turf, but his willingness to at least run interference on Florida safety 22-Rashad Torrence enables Travis to gobble up 10-12 more yards before ducking out of bounds.

So, McClain can make contested, circus catches, passes the eyeball test physically, and isn’t averse to doing the team-first dirty work coaches love…why the heck did he leave Florida State?!?!?

Patience and polish, Lazy Transition Device.

More than one Florida State podcaster that we listened to re: McClain’s departure projected that he would have remained in the Seminoles 2-deep for 2023 and likely cracked the starting lineup as a senior had he stayed. In retrospect, Florida State’s coaching staff probably did McClain a disservice by burning his redshirt as a true freshman. For a guy with just two years of on-field eligibility left, McClain remains relatively rough around the edges when it comes to mastering the technical aspects of playing wide receiver.

We’re guessing that if McClain and Cephas ran simultaneous 40-yard dashes that both guys would cross the cones within a hundredth of a second of each other. Yet, when we examined Cephas’ Kent State film, the two-time All-MAC honoree consistently separated from defenders. Sure, part of that can be chalked up to opponent strength, but Cephas’s unique suddenness, explosiveness out of breaks, and advanced route running/LOS release guile made him one of the most coveted amateur free agents in the Transfer Portal.

McClain isn’t there…yet.

So this is 3^rd and 10. Even though Clemson’s corners drop before the snap, they’re still playing man coverage. McClain saws this route off at the sticks…but it’s not a clean break, not a clean ‘snap’, if you will. McClain tips off his true intentions roughly 4 yards shy of the DB’s toes, erasing any concern of pushing this route vertically. Essentially, McClain showed his hand early, allowing the DB to squat on the hitch sans fear of getting toasted deep. Even if Travis targeted McClain from a clean pocket on this play, there’s nowhere to place the football. Heck, watching it again, the fact that Clemson’s pressure forced a wayward throw probably saved Travis from tossing a pick.

Another uninspiring route:

Predetermined throw by Travis. Florida cornerback lines up outside leverage vs. McClain. Slow release off the LOS. Compounding matters, McClain doesn’t do anything to bait the Gators defender into thinking he might bend this inside. Because of that, McClain has to widen this route more than he should, wasting steps in the process. If you look close, there’s a few nanoseconds in which McClain’s front jersey numbers face the sideline — not ideal. The Florida DB gladly chaperons McClain downfield toward the sideline, thus shrinking Travis’ landing pad. Honestly, the throw isn’t terrible, but there’s no shot it gets completed inbounds.

CONCLUSION: If Cephas — a proven pass-catcher who touted two years of all-conference level statistical production to P5 suitors —  is as close as you’ll get to a surefire, Day 1 plug-and-play starting WR, then McClain is kind of like a lengthy strand of 50/50 raffle tickets. By that we mean that if he doesn’t “hit” it’s not going to sabotage Penn State’s passing attack in 2023, but if he DOES hit — if McClain’s rawness finally becomes refined this spring and summer — the talented junior’s presence could serve as a catalyst for a CFP run. No doubt, McClain has traits you can’t coach. Size. Strength. Strong Hands. Rare athleticism/smoothness/coordination for a guy sporting a stork-like stature.