Penn State football transfer wide receiver Devonte Ross is hitting his stride in the Penn State receiving room as spring practice nears its end.

Ross transferred to the Nittany Lions in December after three years at Troy in an attempt to bolster a Penn State receiving corps that left a lot to be desired in 2024. Fast forward to spring ball, and Ross is merrily settling into life in Happy Valley.

“It’s been surreal, just being here at an institution like this,” Ross said after practice on Wednesday. “Being in spring practice, getting to know all my teammates and stuff like that, all that’s been amazing. They’ve been open to me, open arms.”

It’s no secret that transferring to Penn State from Troy would bring along a whole new world of resources and opportunities for the senior wide receiver. Ross sought out the opportunity to represent a school at the next level of college ball, and he’s taken the adjustment phase in stride.

Part of what’s made the adjustment a little bit easier for Ross is the fact that he’s sharing the field with fellow transfer wide receiver Kyron Hudson out of USC.

“Me and him been building chemistry since the day I got here,” Ross said. “Whatever we need, we got each other. It’s definitely been amazing.”

Ross’ early implementation in the squad has also been chugging along with the help of quarterback Drew Allar. Ross said he wanted to prove himself to his new teammates, saying he and Allar ran routes together every day in the offseason to build chemistry and trust.

A lot of the coaching staff’s optimism surrounding Ross hails from his performance in Troy’s loss at Iowa last season, where the receiver posted an impressive stat line of five receptions for 142 yards and two touchdowns. He also added a 77-yard punt return score in the matchup.

“Getting to play on that stage and get a feel of what it could be like in the Big Ten, and just, performing at that level,” Ross said. “Knowing, understanding, what it takes to be successful on this level. Just being in college for a couple years, it kind of gave me that experience.”

Offensive coordinator Andy Kotelnicki said Ross’ change of direction and speed are special attributes that bring a unique dimension to the offense, which excited the coaching staff from the beginning of his recruitment.

Despite his previous stellar collegiate performances, Ross is solely focused on developing and changing the narrative surrounding the Penn State wide receiver room. He said that receivers coach Marques Hagans inspires the group to build deep connections with each other and stay connected at all times.

The Nittany Lion said he followed Penn State’s College Football Playoff run and knew he could be of use to the offense, only building on his excitement to be a part of the program as it looks to make another deep run in 2025.

“It’s a blessing. I feel a lot of times it still really hasn’t hit me, just that I’m really at a school like this, knowing how far they got last year,” Ross said. “Since I’ve been a kid, I’ve always wanted to play in the national championship. That’s something that every team wants to do, wants to win the national championship. But it’s just crazy to me that I could compete for something like that on a team like this.”