Penn State Football: DaeSean Hamilton Poised for a Bounce-Back Season in 2017
Penn State senior wide receiver DaeSean Hamilton could be in line for a bounce-back season in 2017.
After breaking out as a redshirt freshman in 2014, DaeSean Hamilton has struggled to put up the same production. However, with the top wide receiver spot open at Penn State in 2017, Hamilton could be in the perfect position for a bounce-back performance.
Hamilton put up some impressive numbers during his first season on the field with the Nittany Lions. He led the Big Ten with 82 receptions for 899 yards. However, the promising start to his career took an unexpected turn.
Chris Godwin emerged as Penn State’s top receiver during the 2015 season and never looked back.
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While Godwin was flourishing, Hamilton struggled. He saw his receptions drop to 45 in 2015 and to just 34 last season. He failed to go over 600 recovering yards in each of the past two seasons and became a bit of an afterthought in Penn State’s potent passing attack. Although he did manage six touchdowns in 2015, he found the end zone just once last year.
With Godwin electing to forego his senior season to head to the NFL, the top receiver position in Penn State’s offense is open. Hamilton makes the most sense as the candidate to fill the void left by Godwin. He didn’t see many targets from quarterback Trace McSorley compared to Godwin last year, but he did have a big game in the Big Ten Championship, catching eight balls for 118 yards.
Hamilton obviously has the talent, as evident from his performance as a freshman. He enters this season as the most experienced starter on the Nittany Lions roster and could quickly develop into one of McSorley’s favorite targets.
With one more season ahead of him in Happy Valley, Hamilton could be primed to recapture his 2014 form. The opportunity will definitely be there this year. Penn State isn’t afraid to throw the ball under offensive coordinator Joe Moorhead, and having an experienced and talented receiver like Hamilton could play very well into the blueprint for the offense.