Plenty of options for Penn State's 3rd wide receiver

Penn State football has one of the best wide receivers in the country heading into the 2021 season. Senior Jahan Dotson is the type of dynamic playmaker who defenses have to keep track of at all times. Otherwise, they’re at risk of finding him trotting into the end zone, ball in hand.

Beyond Dotson, however, some questions remain. Sophomore Parker Washington had a good freshman season, but can he repeat it? And will any of the veterans make the leap to being a starter? If not, what about the youth on the team? Can the young players establish themselves as reliable receivers?

Finding answers to the questions surrounding the wide receiver will have a big impact on just how quickly new offensive coordinator Mike Yurcich can find success at Penn State.

As of early August, Yurcich wasn’t ready to anoint the group as one ready to go for the season opener.

“Now, where are we as a receiver room? Not where we need to be. None of them, I don’t care which individual you look at on our entire offensive unit, we’re not where we need to be yet,” Yurcich said at Penn State Media Day in early August. “We’re always going to have that mentality. We have to continue to improve regardless of what last practice was, regardless of what last game’s result was. There has to be an attitude of relentless pursuit to get better and to improve.”

Of course, that was over two weeks ago, with plenty of practices between then and the present to help the unit get ready. And for all of the weight Yurcich’s comments carry, his star receiver isn’t likely to be a reason the team is held back. Dotson should be ready to go as soon as the whistle blows on Sept. 4 in Madison, Wisc.

The questions pertain more to the players around him and whether they’ll allow him to flourish by demanding their own level of attention from opposing defenses.

Dotson started doing his part to get his position-mates ready by leading with his voice, rather than just by example as he had done in the past.

“Being one of the oldest guys in the room (spurred the change),” Dotson said. “… You can’t be a person someone likes every single day. You have to have tough conversations. I’ve had talks with (Penn State head) coach (James) Franklin about that. For someone to trust you, you have to tell them the truth. Having tough conversations with my teammates, it’s really helped me grow as a leader and grow more comfortable with that.”

Even though he is a senior leader, it’s not entirely on Dotson to make sure the rest of the room is ready to go. That responsibility falls more to wide receivers coach Taylor Stubblefield, and even more-so to the players themselves.

Stubblefield was an elite technician in his playing days at Purdue, but imparting that wisdom to others can be more difficult than simply doing it.

Washington believes the coach has met that challenge and is putting him in a position to succeed following his breakout freshman campaign.

“Really, it’s more of an IQ standpoint, just knowing the game more,” Washington said. “Understanding more in-depth of defenses and seeing the bigger picture, besides just knowing my assignment. And I like the way he challenges me with that, and I feel like that will definitely help me in the future and it keeps my head on a swivel. I’m always loving to learn.”

The importance of taking a step forward is evident beyond Washington on the team’s depth chart.

Fellow sophomore KeAndre Lambert-Smith started alongside the team’s top duo last season, but didn’t make a big impact on the field. Redshirt junior Daniel George and redshirt senior Cam Sullivan-Brown have seemingly been on the cusp of a breakout since they walked on campus. Redshirt freshman Malick Meiga has all of the tools, but it might be too early for him to take that big of a step forward.

Stubblefield is in his second year of working with the group as a whole, which could level the playing field between the veterans and young players. Every non-true freshman at wide receiver has spent two years under his tutelage and Lambert-Smith, in particular, seems to have caught Stubblefield’s eye for a potential step forward.

“He’s been working hard,” Stubblefield said. “And he’s been working hard, not just on his physical abilities but also his mental toughness. He has grown in terms of, if something negative happens, be able to shut the door on that negative event and move on. … He’s had some moments this fall camp where he’s done a tremendous job of having that light come on and say, ‘I might not have executed the way I needed to execute. I’m not going to let that get me down, and you know what, let’s get this next play.’ He would be one that I think is moving in that direction.”

Dotson and Washington are in position to find success under Yurcich this season, but if history tells us anything about Yurcich’s offenses, somebody else will have to step up. Yurcich had at least three wide receivers finish with 600-plus receiving yards in his final four years at Oklahoma State from 2015-18.

Those offenses should be an indicator of what to expect, given Yurcich’s the amount of influence he may have had in those years as the team’s primary play-caller.

Somebody is bound to step up as the third wide receiver. At this point it’s a matter of who, not if.