Dante Cephas

UPDATES

Week 8: Cephas caught two passes for 28 yards in Penn State's 20-12 loss to Ohio State. Both receptions came on Penn State's final drive, when the Nittany Lions were down two scores and the game had all but been decided. — JH

Week 7: Cephas was pretty much invisible in the Nittany Lions' 63-0 win over UMass. The receiver was in on a total of nine snaps but wasn't targeted on any passing plays. — JH

Week 6: DNP — Penn State had its bye.

Week 5: The wideout was targeted a season-high seven times — the only time this season he was targeted more than twice in a game — in Penn State's big 41-13 win over Northwestern. Cephas caught two passes for 21 yards. — JH

Week 4: Cephas played 43 snaps but again didn't factor all that much in the Nittany Lions' passing game in Penn State's 31-0 blanking of Iowa. He was targed twice and caught one pass for 11 yards. Penn State fans had high hopes when Cephas transferred from Kent State, but in four games this year he's managed just five catches, though his 16.4 yards-per-catch average is a healthy one. — JH

Week 3: Cephas was in on 25 snaps and targeted just twice in Penn State's 30-13 win over Illinois. Cephas caught one of the targets for 13 yards but dropped the other.— JH 

Week 2: Cephas caught two passes for 36 yards, including a long of 26 yards, as the Nittany Lions destroyed Delaware, 63-7. 

Week 1: Cephas had a quiet day in the Nittany Lions season-debut win over West Virginia, 38-15. Limited to nine total snaps, the lone Penn State receiver on the Biletnikoff Watch List for 2023 was targeted twice and had one catch for 22 yards.

Week 0: DNP

HISTORY — from college profile2023: Cephas announced in January that he was transferring from Kent State to Penn State for the 2023 season.

—at Kent State—

2022: Led the MAC and ranked 30th nationally in receiving yards per game (82.7). Earned first-team All-MAC honors...at Washington (9/3): Posted six receptions for 105 yards...at Oklahoma (9/10): Made four catches for 50 yards. LIU (9/17): Hauled in four receptions for 75 yards and a touchdown...at Georgia (9/24): Caught three passes for 25 yards....Ohio (10/1): Set a Kent State single-game receiving yards record with 246 on 13 grabs. The 246 yards were tied for the second-most in the FBS for the season. Picked up MAC Offensive Player of the Week honors...at Miami (Ohio) (10/8): Tallied nine receptions for 118 yards and a score....at Toledo (10/15): Made five grabs for 68 yards....Akron (10/22): Had 44 receiving yards on three catches. at Bowling Green (11/9): Made a 13-yard reception.

2021: Named First-Team All-Conference...Earned a spot on the Biletnikoff Award midseason watch list...Appeared in nine games, making eight starts...Finished third in the MAC in receptions (82), yards (1,240) and receiving yards per game (88.6), and was fourth in touchdowns (9)...Posted 48 catches for 744 yards and three touchdowns...Played in 14 games, starting in 13...Became the first Kent State receiver to top 1,000 yards receiving since 1997...at Texas A&M (9/4): Made three receptions for 21 yards...VMI (9/11): Posted two catches for 54 yards...at Iowa (9/18): Tallied eight yards on a pair of receptions...at Maryland (9/25): Made 10 receptions for 151 yards and a touchdown...Bowling Green (10/2): Caught six passes for 64 yards...Buffalo (10/9): Made 13 receptions for 186 yards and three touchdowns...at Western Michigan  (10/16): Posted five receptions for 96 yards and a touchdown...at Ohio (10/23): Tallied 103 yards receiving on nine grabs with one score...Northern Illinois (11/3): Posted 124 yards on five receptions...at Central Michigan (11/10): Logged five receptions for 100 yards and a touchdown...at Akron(11/20): Made two catches for 36 yards...Miami (11/27): Hauled in nine catches for 79 yards and a touchdown...vs. Northern Illinois (12/4): Recorded 102 yards on seven receptions...vs. Wyoming (12/21): Logged four receptions for 116 yards and a touchdown.

2020: Played in four games for the Golden Flashes, making 11 receptions for 137 yards...Eastern Michigan (11/4): Caught six passes for 47 yards...at Bowling Green (11/10): Made two catches for 55 yards, including a long reception of 50 yards...Akron (11/17): Tallied 27 yards on two catches...at Buffalo (11/28): Posted a seven-yard reception.a

2019: Appeared in three games...at Toledo (11/5): Made all four catches (for 19 yards) on the season and recorded a blocked punt on special teams.

High school: Played for head coach Jon LeDonne at Penn Hills High School (Pittsburgh, PA)...Was high school teammates with Penn State cornerback Daequan Hardy and running back Tank Smith...Played both wide receiver and defensive back for the Indians...Helped Penn Hills win the 2018 PIAA Class 5A Championship, where he caught three passes for 144 yards and two touchdowns, earning Player of the Game honors...It marked the first state title for the Indians since 1995...Was selected to play in the Big 33 Football Classic...Earned PIAA All-State Class 5A honors as a senior, along with being named to the WPIAL Class 5A Northern Team, and the Big 56 Class 5A Northern Conference all-conference team...Earned WPIAL Class 6A Northern Seven honors as a junior...Posted 948 receiving yards and 13 touchdowns in his high school career... During his time at Penn Hills, he blocked two punts, intercepted three passes and returned a punt for a touchdown... Logged 26 catches for 585 yards his senior season...Rated a three-star recruit by 247sports.

PERSONAL

Full name is Dante Lamar Cephas...Son of Tamara Tucker and Darin Cephas.