Preseason camp 'best so far' for Penn State receiver Jahan Dotson
Jahan Dotson climbed the Nittany Lion record books during his breakout 2020 season.
His five games of 100-yards or more (out of only nine during the COVID-amended campaign) made him only the third Nittany Lion receiver since 2000 to do so. With eight touchdowns, five of which came in the first three games of the year, Dotson also climbed to 13th all-time for receiving scores in program history. And that’s to say nothing of his single-season record on punt returns, averaging 24.6 yards per attempt, helping propel him to All-Big Ten mention as both a receiver and special teams return man.
A performance that provided a jolt of confidence to the soft-spoken veteran, the Penn State senior has spent the past month of preseason camp determined to improve upon all of it.
“I feel like this is probably my best camp so far,” Dotson told reporters Tuesday morning via Zoom. “I’ve been making a lot of plays. I've been getting to know the playbook very well, I got a good grasp on it, and I feel like I've been making plays every single day.”
Hoping to reverse the struggles of a 2020 season that saw the program drop its first five games before rebounding to finish 4-5 on the year, the Nittany Lions are counting on Dotson’s playmaking to continue to shine through this fall.
Preparing to travel to Wisconsin Friday, then take on the No. 12-ranked Badgers Saturday at 11 a.m. local time at Camp Randall Stadium, that calculus will begin immediately for Dotson and the Nittany Lions’ receivers. The undisputed leader of a group that still has questions to answer this season, Dotson joined only by sophomores Parker Washington and KeAndre Lambert-Smith as receivers to return with double-digit catches from last year, he expressed his confidence that development had occurred for the unit over the offseason
In Lambert-Smith, Dotson said, coming off a 15-catch season for 138 yards, the Nittany Lions could have another breakout candidate.
“Someone I want to say who's stuck out to me this camp was KeAndre Lambert-Smith. He's been balling this camp,” Dotson said. “I'm excited to see what he's gonna do this year. I know he's gonna have a breakout year, but he's been making a lot of plays this camp and showing a lot of maturity from last year.”
Assessing Lambert-Smith and Washington together this week, Penn State head coach James Franklin echoed the sentiment.
Seasoned by a year of experience, the dividends have been evident this preseason.
"KeAndre and Parker, and they gained an invaluable amount of experience on game days but then also how to practice, and how to prepare, and how to eat, and sleep, and just how to be a big-time division one student athlete," Franklin said. "So they've grown up dramatically over the last year and that experience that they gained last year will be really valuable."
Dotson also noted that redshirt freshmen Malick Meiga and Jaden Dottin, receivers who’d spent the 2020 season virtually entirely on the sidelines, are two more Nittany Lions who could be ready to make contributions this year.
“They needed some time to get their bodies in shape, just progress their game and prove to the coaches that they're ready, and I feel like they've done that over this camp,” Dotson said. “They're ready to play at a very high level, they're ready to fight for us on the field, and they're ready to make plays.
“I’ve seen Malick make tremendous strides in his game as he came over from Canada. It's a different kind of ball. He's made tremendous strides. Jaden always seems to make plays every single day he's out there on the field. I honestly can't wait to see those guys battle.”
Poised to do exactly that in just three more days, Dotson’s approach to the lead-in of his final season of college football will remain intact.
Centering his sights on producing the same effort each moment of each practice and day, the strategy is one he expects will continue to produce dividends in the coming weeks and months.
“One thing I've been focusing on this year is just being consistent every single day, and making sure that my coach, my teammates, know what I'm going to bring to the table every single day and that's playing at a high level,” Dotson said. “And I feel like I was able to do that this camp.”
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