Penn State football’s rotation at wide receiver is ‘ever-changing,’ Taylor Stubblefield says
Taylor Stubblefield didn’t have much to say about the team’s newest depth chart when it comes to the position he coaches.
The wide receivers coach said “not much” went into labeling redshirt freshman T.J. Jones as the third starter, but he still doesn’t want to see the guys at the top getting complacent
“It’s going to be ever-changing right now” Stubblefield said on a teleconference with the media Wednesday morning. “I hope that everybody, every single one of them, is really motivated to either keep it where they’re at or change it.”
Stubblefield will have plenty of talent to work with, even if it’s inexperienced talent. The group features six players who were rated as four-star recruits in high school, according to the 247Sports Composite player rankings.
Unfortunately for Stubblefield, he still hasn’t had a chance to evaluate most of the talent on the roster because the players are young and haven’t seen much playing time. That limits the amount of recent tape available, which coaches are relying on because of the ongoing coronavirus pandemic.
Once the season begins, Stubblefield will have plenty of options to evaluate at the position. Until then, he’ll have to rely on the film he already has.
Here are the highlights from his call Wednesday.
Dotson set to lead on the field
Only one of the players who arrived on campus as a four-star recruit will be an upperclassman this season, true junior Jahan Dotson. He’s expected to be the team’s top option at wide receiver after the departure of redshirt sophomore K.J. Hamler for the 2020 NFL draft.
Dotson is the team’s returning leader in receptions, yards and touchdowns at wide receiver, with 27, 488 and five respectively. Stubblefield, who finished his career as the all-time leader in receptions with 325 but no longer holds that record, said the junior is more athletic than he was when he played.
“Jahan is much more athletic than I ever was,” Stubblefield said. “I was more of a technical, skilled guy. ... He has the athletic ability, and then to put the skill on top of it makes a great combination.”
It’s clear Dotson will be relied upon heavily to produce this season. He can create space with his quickness and has proven to be a polished route runner.
Others set to lead off the field
Dotson is going to be the on-field leader for the group, but isn’t going to be its vocal leader off the field.
“I don’t think Jahan is somebody who likes to be extremely vocal,” Stubblefield said. “He’s kind of a quiet guy who likes to do what he’s supposed to do. Are we challenging him on that that? Absolutely. But in a way that he’s comfortable with.”
The wide receivers coach doesn’t think the lack of a defined leader at the top to be an issue because there are several receivers in the room who can be relied on, depending on what a player is looking for from them.
“There’s guys like Daniel George that some guys look up to because they’ve seen his work ethic,” Stubblefield said. “Guys like (Isaac) Lutz that have earned the respect of the team. There’s guys like (Justin) Weller who’s a pretty smart guy, so when guys have questions they come to him.”
Those leaders should more than make up for Dotson’s lack of desire to be a vocal leader.
Plenty of talent behind Dotson
There’s plenty of room behind Dotson on the depth chart for other wide receivers to step up, especially considering the level of talent in the room. Three of the aforementioned four-star recruits will be true freshmen this season, with the highest-rated of the three already on campus.
KeAndre Lambert, who was the No. 35 wide receiver in the country in the 2020 class, enrolled early and made it to campus in January. That early head start has already paid dividends for the young wide receiver.
“He wants it,” Stubblefield said. “He has something different in him. There might be some sort of different motivation for him because you can tell he wants it. And he’s willing to put the work in to reach that goal. We talk about the process, he wants the process. He wants the hard stuff. He wants to get coached.
Regardless of who steps up for the Nittany Lions at wide receiver, the overall talent in the room is undeniable. Now it’s on the team’s new wide receivers coach to elevate that talent and bring the group to the same level as the rest of the offense. If he does that, the unit will have a chance to reach heights it hasn’t seen since Chris Godwin and DaeSean Hamilton were featured in 2016.
Other Notes
- Stubblefield is keeping players engaged with quizzes during the pandemic. He said the players are taking advantage of the resources they have available to get things done mentally and physically while adhering to social distancing guidelines.
- The Penn State wide receivers is currently in the state of Washington, where he’s from, to be around his mom. He took part in the call from an RV, where he’s staying.
- Stubblefield also touched on his decision to attend Purdue for college. He said the coaching staff at the time had connections to his home state and the presence of current All-Pro quarterback Drew Brees, who was a Boilermaker while Stubblefield was being recruited, helped convince him to go there. That, and he didn’t receive an offer from a school like Penn State.
This story was originally published April 22, 2020 at 5:14 PM.
