Penn State Nittany Lions

Penn State 2017 Recruiting Class: Wide Receiver KJ Hamler

Updated Mar. 4, 2020 1:16 p.m. ET

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Four-star wide receiver KJ Hamler is an early enrollee member for Penn State’s 2017 recruiting class.

Penn State was able to lure Michigan native KJ Hamler away from other Big Ten schools and add him to the 2017 recruiting class. Hamler enrolled at the school in January and will now get a jumpstart on his collegiate career.

Hamler attended the same high school in Michigan as Penn State great Allen Robinson before transferring to the IMG Academy in Bradenton, FL. He missed all of this past season in high school due to a torn ACL, but still showed enough on tape to be a sought after recruiting target.

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Due to the injury, Hamler will redshirt his first year, giving him even more time to get accustomed to the Penn State program.

247 Sports has Hamler ranked as the No. 44 wide receiver and No. 316 overall in the National Composite.

Once thought to be a lock for Michigan State, Hamler officially committed to the Nittany Lions in early-December. Penn State wide receiver coach Josh Gattis deserves a lot of the credit in bringing Hamler to Happy Valley.

Although he stands at just five-foot-nine, 156 pounds, Hamler is a great athlete with elite speed. He runs a sub-4.4 40-yard dash. That type of speed could be a very dangerous weapon in offensive coordinator Joe Moorhead’s offense.

Adding speed on offense never hurts, and that’s exactly what Penn State did with Hamler. He has the potential to be a big piece of the offense in the coming years. After a year of conditioning and practice, look for Hamler to be ready to step in right away for the 2018 season.