Penn State’s Jahan Dotson already put the Big Ten on notice. Now, he wants to take the next step
Jahan Dotson’s breakout game in 2020 came early in the season.
The Penn State wide receiver finished that game against the Ohio State Buckeyes in Week 2 with eight catches for 144 yards and three touchdowns to launch himself into stardom, punctuating the game with a highlight-reel grab that landed him the No. 2 spot on ESPN SportsCenter’s top 10 plays.
Dotson had to react quickly to a pass from quarterback Sean Clifford in the fourth quarter of the Nittany Lions’ game against Ohio State with his body contorting awkwardly. There was no time for two hands, so the Penn State wide receiver used just one to haul in the pass and get into the end zone.
Now heading into his senior year, Dotson wants to be known for more than just one catch. He wants to take the next step and prove he’s not just one of the best wide receivers in the Big Ten, he’s one of the best in the country.
Given the attributes he showed off in 2020 — the quickness in his routes to create separation that is so smooth it often looks like he’s gliding, the hands that make it look like baseball players aren’t the only ones who have found a use for Spider Tack, and the speed that will leave defenders wondering how he’d gotten past them — it’s hard to imagine there’s much room to get better.
But Dotson still sees plenty of room for growth.
“Being a better version of myself and being a better football player than I was last year,” he said about his expectations for 2021. “It’s building on every aspect of my game, building my skill set, learning the ins and outs of defenses, coverage recognition, different things like that.”
There will be no surprising opponents like Dotson did at first last season. Teams know who he is and how good he is. Maryland defensive back Nick Cross explained what makes the senior a special talent.
“He’s a good receiver,” Cross said. “He has a great catch radius, strong hands. He’s able to make all the catches and run all the routes in the route tree. He’s a problem once he gets loose.”
A matchup against Cross and the Terrapins won’t come until later in the season, but even the team’s earliest opponents are already laying out a plan of attack for Dotson. The Nittany Lions open their season on Sept. 4 against Wisconsin and the Badgers’ top cornerback, Faion Hicks, knows what to expect.
He’s seen Dotson go to work and has already worked on developing a plan for slowing down the Penn State wide receiver.
“He’s a great player and makes a lot of big plays,” Hicks said. “Whenever you have a player like that on the opposite side of the ball, you look forward to those matchups. Wherever he’s at on the field, I’ll be following. ... I’ve been watching closely. I’ve been watching his tape.”
The senior leader is surely going to draw that type of attention more often than not against opponents this season. That means the receivers down the depth chart will have to be ready to make an impact when the time is called. For as good as Dotson is, there will be times when Clifford can’t get him the ball because of the coverages he’s going to face.
Stopping him should be at the forefront of every team’s game plan this season, and Penn State will have to plan accordingly. Fortunately for the Nittany Lions, Dotson has taken a leadership role to prepare the rest of the position group for their time to shine.
“I kind of became more of a vocal leader this year,” he said. “... Talking through things, becoming more of a coach-player in a sense.”
That is a stark contrast from the receiver who just two years ago said he preferred to lead by example and was lauded for quietly going about his work and putting in the effort.
That type of leadership development from Dotson aligns with the on-field development he’s shown in the last two seasons. While Dotson acknowledged he didn’t enjoy setting the tone in previous years, he said it was simply his time to lead the room in 2021.
“Being one of the oldest guys in the room (spurred the change),” Dotson said. “... Learning from (previous receivers) the role that you have to play as a leader, and what that is and what comes with it. 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.”
The senior receiver will be vital to Penn State’s success this season. Last year, his 52 catches for 884 yards and eight touchdowns kept the team in games, but the Nittany Lions were only able to go 4-5, winning five straight to end the year. Dotson isn’t willing to accept that kind of performance again and knows he’s going to be part of the solution this season.
“We never stopped fighting last year,” Dotson said. “Guys are hungry to win. ... We’ve been working tremendously hard during this offseason to be a great football team.”
