If any group will make the quarterback’s transition to starter the easiest at Penn State this season, it’ll be the wide receiving corps.

Penn State returns its top-two downfield threats in redshirt senior Graham Zug and redshirt junior Derek Moye. The two combined for 1,385 receiving yards and 13 receiving touchdowns last season.

The duo headlines an experienced bunch, including redshirt senior Brett Brackett. Sophomores Curtis Drake, Justin Brown and Devon Smith each played at least 10 games last season, while redshirt freshmen Shawney Kersey and Brandon Moseby-Felder are also in the mix.

“The depth at wide receiver is outstanding this year,” quarterback Matt McGloin said. “I don’t think that anyone else in the Big Ten has got it better.”

With Andrew Quarless now on the Green Bay Packers and Mickey Shuler on the Minnesota Vikings, tight end is one receiver position that will have something to prove this season.

Brennan Coakley is also no longer a Nittany Lion after being denied a sixth year by the NCAA, and during the spring, redshirt sophomore Mark Wedderburn was in Joe Paterno’s doghouse for cutting class. He didn’t participate in the Blue-White game and was not listed on the preseason depth chart.

The 2010 Penn State football media guide lists Andrew Szczerba first and Garry Gilliam second on the depth chart at tight end. Szczerba, a redshirt junior, played in 11 games but caught only one pass for six yards last season.

Despite the receiving corps losing A.J. Price and Levi Norwood this offseason, the depth at wideout shouldn’t be affected much. Price asked to be released from his scholarship and Norwood transferred to Baylor, where his father Brian Norwood is the defensive coordinator.

The Nittany Lions’ fourth-leading receiver in 2009, Chaz Powell, moved to the defensive backfield in the spring, and he seems to be a fixture there. According to the media guide depth chart, he’s second behind sophomore Stephon Morris in one of the cornerback slots.

But even with Powell’s move to the defense, receiving is one of the deepest positions for the Lions this upcoming season and should provide a solid support system for whoever starts under center.

“I think we have plenty of kids that can play there — different roles, different situations, and I think it’ll be a nice thing for the quarterbacks,” said wide receivers coach Mike McQueary at a May event in Hershey. “It’s always nice for the quarterback to have a couple guys around him that have had some experience and made some catches.”