Malcolm Johnson Jr back for Penn State

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Auburn expects to have starting wide receiver back against No. 22 Penn State

Updated: Sep. 12, 2022, 3:47 p.m.|Published: Sep. 12, 2022, 2:02 p.m.

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Auburn wide receiver Malcolm Johnson Jr. carries the ball against Mercer during an NCAA college football game Saturday, Sept. 3, 2022, in Auburn, Ala. (AP Photo/Butch Dill)AP

Auburn expects to have one of its starting wide receivers back for its marquee nonconference game this weekend against No. 22 Penn State.

Malcolm Johnson Jr. missed last weekend’s game against San Jose State, but Auburn coach Bryan Harsin said Monday that he expects the junior wide receiver to be available Saturday against the Nittany Lions. Auburn (2-0) hosts No. 22 Penn State (2-0) at 2:30 p.m. at Jordan-Hare Stadium, with the game airing on CBS.

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“I expect him to play,” Harsin said. “He just wasn’t healthy enough to play. And I think he could have. I think we just had better options. But we need Malcolm on the field. He’ll be ready to go. He’s a tough kid and he’ll be ready. We just had some other guys that were a little bit better than him at that time.

Auburn opted to go with LSU transfer Koy Moore in the starting lineup against SJSU with Johnson not ready to go. Moore finished with one catch for 13 yards in the 24-16 win.

Johnson earned the starting job at the Z-receiver spot for Auburn heading into the season, and while he did not record a reception during the team’s season opener against Mercer, he finished with one carry for 3 yards as the Tigers tried to get multiple playmakers involved in the run game. A former four-star receiver, Johnson has six career receptions for 82 yards and a touchdown -- all of them coming last season.

“That’s huge, especially a guy like Malcolm,” tight end John Samuel Shenker said of the receiver’s impending return. “A hard worker that knows what he’s doing. The effort and stuff is there with Malcolm. We missed him last week. He’s a key part to the offense and how things run on the offensive side of the ball. He’s a huge component to that. We’re happy to have him back.”

Tom Green is an Auburn beat reporter for Alabama Media Group. Follow him on Twitter @Tomas_Verde.

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Glad that he'll be back. But I don't know if he'll make much of a difference over Moore, or any other WR in the rotation.