Blue White Illustrated

We need to do that more. But we at least need to be able to break tackles and fall forward and stay on schedule as much as we possibly can." WIDE RECEIVER KEY RETURNEES Norval Black, Jahan Dotson, Jaden Dottin, Daniel George, T.J. Jones, KeAndre Lambert-Smith, Malick Meiga, Cam Sullivan-Brown, Parker Washington KEY LOSSES John Dunmore, Isaac Lutz NEWCOMERS Liam Clifford, Winston Eubanks, Harrison Wallace, Lonnie White Jr. OUTLOOK If there was a breakout star of Penn State's 2020 season, it was Dotson. The junior wideout went from being a complementary threat in the Nittany Lions' passing game his first two seasons to one of the top receivers in the Big Ten. Dotson finished the season with an average of 98.2 receiving yards per game to rank third in the conference, and his 884 total yards ranked first. His announcement on Jan. 7 that he was returning for his senior season gave the Lions' passing game a big lift heading into winter workouts and spring practice. >> Reasons for optimism abound as off-season begins T he year 2020 was disappointing for al- most everyone in countless ways, and a difficult season for Penn State on the football field didn't help matters for many Nittany Lion fans. With the calendar changing to 2021 and bringing hopes of a change in for- tune for many, we compiled 21 reasons for Penn State fans to be optimistic about Nittany Lion football in 2021. 1. The transfer portal's evolution into an instant roster-rebuilding tool After Penn State's worst season under James Franklin, the timing of the NCAA's choice to allow its athletes a one-time transfer without needing to sit out a year couldn't be much better. The Nittany Lions have used – and likely will con- tinue to use – the portal as a means to in- ject some new energy into their program and address needs in the short term. 2. Momentum into the off-season Winning each of their last four games was important for this Penn State group after an 0-5 start. While those wins ad- mittedly came against mostly subpar opponents, you have to feel better about a four-game win streak heading into the winter break than you would if things had happened in the opposite order. 3. Points on the table The Nittany Lions were actually pretty good at moving the ball between the 20- yard lines throughout the season. But they frequently stumbled in the red zone, owning the 105th-ranked red zone offense in the country and scoring only 19 touchdowns in 37 trips. If Penn State can get this figured out, its offensive production will skyrocket in 2021. 4. Parker Washington Playing second fiddle to Jahan Dotson, Washington was the best freshman wideout in the Big Ten from a yardage standpoint, catching 36 passes for 472 yards. His potential is one of the most exciting things about Penn State's of- fense looking ahead to 2021. 5. Plenty of young players who have learned on the fly Injuries and opt-outs helped to derail Penn State's 2020 season before it got going. But a silver lining can be found in the fact that players like Keyvone Lee, Brenton Strange, Theo Johnson and Devyn Ford earned much more playing time than you might have expected. That experience could lead to significant improvements next season. 6. Joey Porter Jr. Sticking with the trend of exciting un- derclassmen, Porter, a redshirt freshman cornerback, was a fixture in Penn State's defense from the first week of the season. Pro Football Focus rated him in the top half of Big Ten corners, and he had the second-best tackling grade of any Big Ten corner. He's already a solid contribu- tor, but if he can build on this season, Penn State may have a star on its hands. 7. A schedule that will help us learn about the Nittany Lions right away There will be no need for much debate about Penn State's quality in 2021. The Lions start their season with a trip to Wisconsin and host Auburn two weeks later. No need to wait until PSU plays Ohio State and Michigan late in the sea- son to figure out if the team is any good. 8. The potential for Penn State's of- fense under Mike Yurcich Franklin shocked just about everyone when he announced Kirk Ciarrocca had been relieved of his duties as offensive coordinator. His replacement, Mike Yur- cich, has routinely helped offenses pro- duce numbers that Nittany Lion fans can really only dream about. His Texas of- fense last season averaged 475.4 yard per game — a mark Penn State hasn't reached since 1994. Granted, that per- formance took place in the high-flying Big 12, but the fact remains that there is plenty to be excited about with Yurcich in charge of Penn State's offense. 9. More time for Penn State's new assistants Along with Ciarrocca, three other PSU assistants had to embed themselves in State College under far-from-ideal cir- cumstances. With another year – and hopefully some semblance of normality C O M M E N T A R Y B Y D A V I D E C K E R T

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