BUCKING UP FOR OSU
Nittany Lions’ Dotson is focusing on the next big step, getting ready for Buckeyes
As one of the few common denominators in the Penn State wide receivers meeting room since the start of the 2018 season, Jahan Dotson is ostensibly an elder statesman at age 20..
The junior from Nazareth made his season debut Saturday with four catches, including a 60-yard touchdown reception that gave the Nittany Lions a lead over Indiana, which came back to win 36-35 in overtime.
But the leadership he’s expected to provide cannot be measured by statistics. Dotson’s advice to the younger and less-experienced receivers: learn by observing.
“I’m going to work, coming out every day,” Dotson said Wednesday. “I’m not really much of a vocal leader. I kind of just try to lead by example so that young guys can see what I’m doing and hopefully they just follow my footsteps.
“So hopefully I can just lead by example in practice every day and then it just [carries] out to the game.
The numbers show that Dotson is on a fast track to the NFL, which he could
elect to join next year or wait until 2022.
His 44 career catches in 22 career games include six TDs and an average of 17.8 yards. His game-breaking speed is not limited to running routes. It includes processing information well enough to become a trusted target of
quarterback Sean Clifford.
The Nittany Lions are in dire need of more explosive plays, according to Clifford and coach James Franklin. Dotson is equipped to deliver them even if opponents play soft coverage and take away everything over the top.
“If the opponents are playing us soft, then we just need to get the ball in our hands quick and make something happen with it,” Dotson said. “It’s all about when — when you get your opportunity, you’ve got to make the most of it. That’s pretty much something that I’ve been living on ever since I got here.
“Every time I get an opportunity to get the ball, I want to take it to the house basically every single time, no matter if it’s a screen or a deep ball. Whatever it is, you’ve got to make the most of your opportunities.”
Dotson and his Penn State teammates were looking at no opportunities in 2020 until the Big Ten Conference reversed its decision to scrap all sports until at least January.
Asolid offseason plan, including training with Tyler Marx of Matryx Performance in Allentown, ensured Dotson would be able to jump right back into action whenthe league changed its decision.
“We just hit the ground running,” Dotson said. “We never looked back. ... I can’t even think of the date when I started. I’ve just been working and luckily they said a couple weeks later that we [can] come back and get a season in.
“And so it was just a joy knowing that I’m still ready for the moment. I’m still ready to take on the season.”
Nothing has seemed to slow Dotson’s progress, not even the revolving door of position coaches he’s experienced since changing his mind about going to UCLA and choosing Penn State instead.
Taylor Stubblefield, an accomplished college player in his own right at Purdue, is the latest to hold the position. He claimed after taking the job that Dotson possesses more tools than he ever did.
“Jahan is much more athletic than I ever was,’’ Stubblefield said. “He can do some things naturally ... I was more of a technical-skilled guy. He’s a guy that has more athletic ability than I’ve had. That’s what’s exciting about him — he has athletic ability. And then to put the skill on top of it makes it a great combination.”
Dotson has added around 20 pounds to a frame that was only 160 coming out of Nazareth, and grown emotionally as well.
That was evident by his focus Wednesday, which clearly was on Saturday night’s opponent: Ohio State.
What do Dotson and the receivers have to do?
“Just getting open and being the biggest target for our quarterback,” he said. “That’s just the biggest key to me. I feel like the more we’re open, the more he’s going to be able to trust and throw the ball to us.
“It all starts with practice, honestly. The more we make plays and practice, the more he’s going to feel comfortable throwing the ball to us and in those little tight windows in those little situations.”