Blue White Illustrated

O F F - S E A S O N R E P O R T aylor Stubblefield has a message for his wide receivers: Don't get too comfortable. On April 18, the day that the Blue-White Game would have taken place if spring football hadn't been canceled, Penn State released a depth chart in which Jahan Dotson, Daniel George and T.J. Jones were listed as the three starters. One might understandably jump to the conclusion that those three will be the players to beat when Penn State resumes practicing. One would be wrong. As Stubblefield recently explained, that document was not a reflection of anything that's happened to date, nor was it a prediction of anything that's likely to happen when the Nittany Lions return to the practice field. "I don't even think it was pencil that it was written in," he said. "It might have been in watercolor ink, something that can possibly disappear." Dotson's selection was an obvious choice given his status as the only proven veteran in the Nittany Lions' 2020 receiver group, but the rest of the depth chart was pure conjecture given how little on-field work the wide- outs have had a chance to engage in. It won't remain that way forever, of course. But for now, with football tem- porarily shut down, players and coaches will have to live with even more uncer- tainty than they're accustomed to fac- ing at this point in the off-season. And as far as the Nittany Lions' first-year wide receivers coach is concerned, a bit of uncertainty isn't necessarily a bad thing. It could even prove motivational. "I told my guys, when that depth chart comes out, it is ever-changing," Stubblefield said. "I told the guys at the top, do not sit there and beat your chest and be like, hey, I made it. And if you're a third- or fourth-string guy right now, don't put your head down and say, dang, I don't have a chance. Because we didn't have spring ball, and we have a room full of young guys. Some of it [was aimed at] how we structure who's at X, who's at Z, a little bit of that. But it's going to be ever-changing right now. And I hope every single one of them is motivated to either keep it where it's at or change it." A lot of things have already changed in Penn State's wide receiver corps. K.J. Hamler gave up his last two years of college eligibility to enter the NFL Draft, Justin Shorter transferred to Florida, and Dan Chisena graduated. That trio combined to start 20 games last season, and they totaled 71 of the wide- outs' 121 receptions, with Hamler accounting for 56 of those catches. Of the returning wideouts, only one – Dotson – has more than a dozen career recep- tions. Given all that, one problem that Penn State shouldn't find itself facing in the coming months is an excess of complacency. James Franklin may have best summed up the team's outlook at this position group – a mishmash of hopefulness and apprehen- sion – when he addressed the topic during a Febru- ary news conference. "We've got some guys who are ready to take the next step," he said, "and we need them to." For most of Franklin's tenure, Penn State has been able to find the wideouts it has needed. In his very first game with the Nittany Lions, a 26-24 victory over UCF in September 2014, DaeSean Hamilton and Geno Lewis combined to make 19 catches for 338 yards. Hamilton would go on to set the school ALL HANDS ON DECK New PSU receivers coach Taylor Stubblefield is seeking playmakers as he puts his stamp on a wideout corps that boasts few proven pass-catchers but is loaded with potential impact freshmen | T VETERAN PLAYER Dotson is Penn State's most experienced re- turning wideout. The junior caught 40 passes for 691 yards and five touchdowns in his first two sea- sons. Photo by Steve Manuel

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