The career arc of junior receiver Chris Godwin is truly something to behold. In his third season donning the black shoes and basic blues, Godwin is a huge reason for Penn State’s revamped success on offense.

He’s currently fifth on the program’s all-time receiving yardage chart (2,201) and could even reach Derek Moye’s fourth position with 194 more yards this season. Godwin has an outstanding shot to top Bobby Engram’s record mark of 3,026 next fall.

Godwin started the year with 23 receptions and two touchdowns over the first six games, but has caught fire during the Nittany Lions’ magical second-half run. He’s tallied 24 more catches and seven additional scores from the Ohio State win on.

In fact, his second touchdown against Michigan State allowed him to pass cornerbacks coach Terry Smith (15) on the all-time receiving scores list. He’s now tied for sixth with O.J. McDuffie as both hold 16 apiece. Godwin, a former Under Armour All-American out of Middletown, is the lone Delaware native on the roster. His teammate Saquon Barkley explained what Godwin means to Penn State’s offense following the comeback win at Indiana.

“He’s fast, but he’s a big wide receiver. If you look at him, guy’s jacked,” Barkley said with a chuckle. “Any time the ball’s in the air, it’s more of a surprise if he doesn’t come up with it sometimes. You could put it anywhere and the guy’s gonna go up and make the play.”

Provided they both come back for their senior seasons next year, Godwin and DaeSean Hamilton will be on a wild chase for Deon Butler’s program-high 179 career receptions. Right now, they check in with 142 and 153, respectively.

Godwin discussed what it means to be heading to Indianapolis for Penn State’s first Big Ten Championship Game after last Saturday’s win over the Spartans.

“It means the world. I know how much time that we’ve put into this as a team — not just this year, but in years past,” Godwin said. “I know what our senior class has been through. It’s an honor to help get Penn State back to where it was and where we wanna be.”

A few weeks ago after practice, Godwin took the media through what Joe Moorhead told him prior to the season about what this offense could accomplish. Though fans have been over the moon about Penn State’s newfound scoring bursts (439-273 in total-point differential), Godwin isn’t surprised by the team’s success.

“From the time that I first talked to Coach Moorhead, he was telling me that we’re gonna be able to run the ball and we’re gonna be able to take shots down the field,” Godwin said. “Just trusting him and trusting the process, I believe what he’s telling us, so I’m not really shocked at the things that we’ve been able to do so far this year.”

He did acknowledge that there’s still plenty left to be done. One of the youngest teams in college football is already well ahead of schedule in its ascension back to national prominence, but the goals have always been the same. Now, they’re within reach against the Badgers in primetime.

“Rome wasn’t built in one day,” Godwin said. “We understand that, in order for us to get to where we wanna get to, it’s gonna be a long process. It’s gonna take a lot of hard work.”