Penn State Nittany Lions

DeAndre Thompkins excited to show what he can do for Penn State

Published Aug. 12, 2015 5:42 p.m. ET

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DeAndre Thompkins is tired of waiting to show Penn State coaches and fans what they were missing last season when he redshirted as a freshman. 

"Anyone that is a D-1 player expects to play, so being told you're going to redshirt, it's tough to take it," Thompkins told reporters at Penn State media day, per The Patriot-News. 

"I was kind of upset, but later down the road I kind of understood why, and after awhile I kind of accepted it, and understood that it was something I needed to understand what I needed to be and my role in this offense"

Leading receivers DaeSean Hamilton and Geno Lewis return this fall but the 5-foot-11, 185-pound Thompkins hopes to prove himself a worthy target of quarterback Christian Hackenberg as well. 

Beyond that, he offers another option for special teams coach Charles Huff's return units, where incumbent kick returner Grant Haley returns and the punt return job is open. 

"DeAndre brings something that as we move forward in this program is going to help us get to the level we want to get, and that's competition," Huff said on media day. "Competition creates depth. With depth creates options. DeAndre is an unbelievable athlete. He was one of the faster players on the team. He's going to give us the ability to have him and Grant or Koa (Farmer) or Nick (Scott), competing for the job rather than looking at it as, we've got to go with this guy because other guys don't fit the position.

"Having options is what you want, because in college football we can't pay guys or cut guys and bring in someone else. So the only way to motivate truly is with playing time, and everybody in that locker room wants to play, and they know that if I don't do what I've got to do, the guy behind me is going to step up in front of me." 

(H/T The Patriot-News)

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