Dotson, Washington poised to become household names for Penn State

ALTOONA, Pa. -- The question marks surrounding the wide receivers at Penn State were plentiful entering the 2020 season, thanks to a lack of experience and another new position coach. Under the direction of Taylor Stubblefield, those question marks have turned into what could be exclamation points. 

When Stubblefield arrived last January, he inherited a group that had its fourth position coach in as many years, as well as one that saw its best player, K.J. Hamler, leave for the NFL. 

Those concerns quickly went away for Stubblefield and his receivers with the emergence of Jahan Dotson and freshman Parker Washington. 

"It's going to be an important spring and then important off-season for these guys taking the next step," Penn State head coach James Franklin said following practice Wednesday. "It's been good this spring, but we still have a lot of work to do."

Dotson exploded onto the college football landscape with plays like the one below, but also by being the go-to guy when Penn State needed him most, on and off the field.

With ball skills like that and the breakaway speed he demonstrates below, it's no surprise that he turned heads last fall, even as the majority of the offense spit and sputtered its way to an 0-5 start.

The play of Dotson opened the door for Washington's emergence, which happened despite not having spring practices and being a true freshman.

"Spring is a great opportunity to move guys around," Stubblefield said. "We're trying to build some depth."

The depth will come eventually, but having Dotson and Washington at the top of the depth chart is a coach's dream. Both are multi-faceted and utilize different skillsets that set them apart from others around the country. 

Washington's 5-foot-10, 205-pound frame allows him to be quick but powerful, both in and out of cuts and when being physical. What also helps is his diet and ability to eat. Well, sort of.

"He might be the first receiver I've ever seen stay in the kitchen the entire time he was at my house," Stubblefield joked. "He's been able to use his body type to his advantage on the football field. He's tough to bring down, he's strong. His lower body, man, he is thick."

That thickness and power in his lower half allows him to be explosive and get in and out of breaks, much like you see in the above tweet. Couple that with Dotson's skills -- his burst and hands, as well as leadership -- and this is as good as any duo in the Big Ten.

What Dotson was able to do last season was great in itself, but for Washington to compete and perform like he did while adjusting to the college game was remarkable. The absence of spring practice, coupled with the lack of camp and getting reps with the first team, were working against him, yet the college game seemed so easy for him. At least he made it look that way. 

Now, though, Washington gets an entire spring to hone his craft and learn while putting it all to the test on the field.

"He's pretty gosh-dang good when it comes to his technique, and then he's powerful, and you can see it by (those) ham hocks he has as legs," Stubblefield said.

For Stubblefield, this spring and his second year as their position coach has a whole new feel, and for good reason.

"Last year, it was kind of learning, learning my style, me learning them," Stubblefield said. "It's not just them hearing it for the first time. Now, they've heard it for a whole season, it's the opportunity for them to try to perfect it."

More from Wednesday's availability:

• Franklin, on tempo: "There's been coaches that I've interviewed and hired and they've sold themselves as tempo guys, but then weren't really that."

• Franklin, on the opening lineup (jokingly): "I think we're going to open the season with like four fullbacks, the quarterback is under center and the stadium is just going to go crazy."

• Stubblefield, on recruiting: "Everything's still up in the air with the dead period in place until the end of May. It seems like things are heading in the direction where we would have a normal June. We are planning on having guys on campus. We are planning on, hopefully, some official visits."

• Stubblefield, on Mike Yurcich: "His energy is infectious. He has a loud and commanding voice. The guys can see his fire to be great. You can see why he's had so much success with his offenses. It's because he knows what he wants."