Penn State set to hire Colorado State wide receivers coach Kashif Moore

Penn State coach Matt Campbell has made his pick to replace departing receivers coach Noah Pauley. The Lions plan to hire Colorado State wide receivers coach Kashif Moore to coach the team’s pass catchers after Pauley left on Feb. 5 for a job with the Green Bay Packers. On3’s Pete Nakos and BWI’s Sean Fitz first reported Moore as a rising candidate on Monday.

Moore moved to Colorado State with Jim Mora Jr. in the offseason after spending the last three seasons at UConn, his alma mater. While coaching the Huskies, Moore mentored Biletnikoff Award finalist Skyler Bell, who caught 101 passes for 1,278 yards and 11 touchdowns in 2025. Over the last two seasons in Storrs, Bell, a Wisconsin transfer, caught 151 passes for 2,051 yards and 16 touchdowns.

A Burlington, N.J. native, Moore played wide receiver at Connecticut and was a team captain. Before returning in 2023, he coached wide receivers for Greg Gattuso at Albany in 2022. He also had stops at Cornell (2021) and Wesleyan University (2020) as a running backs coach. He was an undrafted free agent out of college and had pro stints with Cincinnati, Indianapolis, Pittsburgh and Kansas City.

Pauley’s stay in State College lasted roughly a month and a half. He followed Campbell to State College after three seasons under him at Iowa State. With the Cyclones, he developed a pair of pros in Houston Texans receivers Jayden Higgins and Jaylin Noel. Before that, Pauley developed current Packers receiver Christian Watson at North Dakota State.

A closer look at the Penn State receivers room now

Here is what Moore has to work with during his first season at Penn State:

Who is back at receiver in 2026?

Logan Cunningham | R-Sr.

A walk-on, Cunningham is one of the Nittany Lions’ oldest returning receivers. But, he has yet to see any playing time throughout his lengthy time with the program. 

Ethan Black | R-Sr.

Black has totaled 19 special teams snaps over his time at Penn State but has yet to record a snap on offense as he enters his final season in State College. 

Peter Gonzalez | R-So.

A former Rivals Industry Rankings three-star recruit in the Class of 2024, Gonzalez’s start in State College has been marred by injuries. Over his first two seasons in State College, he has yet to see the game field but will hope to be healthy enough to compete for time this spring and summer.

Koby Howard | So.

Keeping Howard at Penn State for the 2026 season was one of Matt Campbell’s first big wins as the new leader of the Lions. The former four-star recruit became more involved in the offense once Terry Smith became the interim head coach. He finished his freshman year in State College with 7 catches on 9 targets for 133 yards over 198 snaps. 

Lyrick Samuel | R-Fr.

A Rivals Industry Rankings three-star recruit in the Class of 2025, Samuel did not receive any playing time during his first season in State College.

Who are the newcomers?

Chase Sowell | R-Sr.

Sowell is joining his fourth college team for his final season. After starting his career at Colorado in 2022, Sowell spent the 2023 and 2024 seasons at East Carolina before moving to Iowa State in 2025. Over those four seasons, he logged 115 catches for 1,823 yards and six touchdowns. During his lone year under new Penn State offensive coordinator and receivers coach Noah Pauley in Ames, Sowell finished with 32 receptions for 500 yards and two scores. He was the Big 12 newcomer of the year in 2025 and also an honorable mention all-conference selection. 

A former three-star recruit out of  Humble, Tex., Sowell caught 70 passes for 1,380 yards and 16 touchdowns as a senior at Atascocita High School.

Brett Eskildsen | Jr.

An honorable mention All-Big 12 pick in 2025, Eskildsen tallied seven starts over 12 games during his second collegiate season and finished with 30 receptions, five touchdowns, and a team-high 526 receiving yards. For his career, the Frisco, Tex., native owns 32 receptions fo 543 yards and five scores.A former three-star recruit, he finished his prep career at Centennial High with 1,590 receiving yards and 16 total touchdowns despite missing nearly all of his senior season due to injury.

Keith Jones | R-So.

Jones comes to Penn State via the transfer portal after spending two seasons at Grambling State. After redshirting in 2024, he led his team in 2025 with 32 receptions for 450 yards and five touchdowns. Jones did not receive a recruiting ranking in the Class of 2024. He played his prep ball at Edna Karr in New Orleans.

More: Meet Reid Kagy: Inside Matt Campbell’s Vision for Penn State’s Strength Program

Karon Brookins | R-Fr.

A Pennsauken, N.J. native, Brookins enters his second college season after taking a redshirt during his first year with the Cyclones in 2025. A former Rivlas Industry Rankings three-star recruit, Brookins caught 46 passes for 779 yards and nine touchdowns during his time at Timber Creek High School. 

Zay Robinson | R-Fr.

Robinson caught one pass while playing in three games during a redshirt year at Iowa State in 2025. The former Rivals Industry Rankings three-star recruit caught 48 passes for 661 yards and 14 touchdowns as a senior at West Des Moines, Iowa Valley High in 2024, helping him earn a spot on the Des Moines Register’s 2024 All-Iowa Elite Team. He totaled 84 receptions for 1,070 yards and 16 touchdowns during his prep career.

Ben Whitver | Fr.

A former James Madison commit, Whitver flipped to Penn State on Dec. 27, 2025 and is already with the Nittany Lions. The Rivals Industry Rankings three-star recruit caught for Powhatan, Va., High School caught 58 passes for 961 yards and nine touchdowns as a senior. He leaves the prep ranks third all-time in the state of Virginia with 209 receptions and his 3,501 career receiving yards is a new state record. He also caught 35 touchdowns.