Parker Washington poised to be Penn State Football’s next star wide receiver

Penn State Football will aim to replace Jahan Dotson this fall, and Parker Washington appears primed to be the Nittany Lions’ next star at the position 

Penn State football will go into 2022 without their top wide receiver Jahan Dotson, who is headed to the NFL draft in the Spring. Dotson was one of the most productive receivers in the nation the past two seasons and now leaves a huge void on the Nittany Lions‘ roster.

The question now is, who will step up in place of Dotson?

The Nittany Lions picked up Mitchell Tinsley in the transfer portal last month, he had a monster season for Western Kentucky in 2021, catching 87 passes for 1,402 yards and 14 touchdowns. While these numbers are eye-popping, the next No. 1 receiver at Penn State may already be on the roster.

Parker Washington will enter his third season in Happy Valley in 2022 and the man who has been Dotson’s sidekick for two years looks ready for the main role.

Washington‘s production through his first two seasons with Penn State Football has been impressive. He started as a true freshman in 2020 and has only gotten better since.

Year three has been the year that recent Penn State wide receiver stars had their breakout season.

When comparing Washington to the likes of Dotson, K.J. Hamler, Chris Godwin and Allen Robinson, Washington looks to be ahead of the curve.

Dotson: Years 1 and 2: 40 Rec. 691 yards 5 TDs. Year 3: 52 Rec. 884 yards 8 TDs.

Hamler: Years 1 and 2: 42 Rec. 754 yards 5 TDs. Year 3: 56 Rec. 904 yards 8 TDs.

Godwin: Years 1 and 2: 95 Rec. 1,439 yards 7 TDs. Year 3: 59 Rec. 982 yards 11 TDs.

Robinson: Years 1 and 2: 80 Rec. 1,047 yards 11 TDs. Year 3: 97 Rec. 1,432 yards 6 TDs.

Washington: Years 1 and 2: 100 Rec. 1,309 yards 10 TDs.

As you can see, Washington has arguably had the best career through the first two seasons of his career out of the group. Obviously, the others dealt with factors that had an influence on their numbers. Hamler did not play in his first season at Penn State, as he recovered from an ACL injury.

While the numbers through the first two years are impressive, we see that the other four receivers on this list had serious breakout seasons in year three. Will the same happen for Washington?

The talent is certainly there for Washington to take the next step and become a true No.1 receiver. We saw that talent on display the past two years and especially in the Outback Bowl.

https://twitter.com/espn/status/1477339183773536257?s=20

Dotson opting out of the bowl game was also beneficial for Washington. He likely assumed Dotson’s role in practice leading up to the game and had an opportunity to further solidify his relationship with quarterback Sean Clifford, who will be back next season.

Washington’s target volume will definitely increase in 2022 as he becomes Penn State Football’s No.1 wide receiver and becomes more comfortable in the second year of offensive coordinator Mike Yurcich’s system. If Washington’s year three jump is anything like the others on this list, Penn State’s 2022 offense will not miss a beat with Dotson gone.