Tag: Jaden Dottin

Penn State Football: 2022-2023 transfer portal departures tracker

Let’s take an updated look at the Penn State football transfer portal tracker.

The NCAA’s transfer portal is a game-changer for players and more and more players seem to be taking advantage of the opportunity to explore all of their options. Penn State has been a program that has sent a number of players to other schools by way of the transfer portal, some with more success than others, but the Nittany Lions have also caught on to the importance of tapping talent from the transfer portal to plug some holes on the roster.

Penn State head coach James Franklin has expressed his growing concerns over the way the transfer portal is treated by programs around the country, and how the pressure to focus on just football impacts the whole process. He’s not necessarily wrong on that account, but he may also b a bit frustrated knowing every year his program will lose players through the whole process when he can be focusing his energy on preparing for a bowl game or the early signing period on the recruiting calendar.

Here is a look at each player from Penn State’s roster that has been announced or been reported to be in the NCAA transfer portal.

Penn State makes top 13 for four-star athlete in 2024

Penn State makes latest top schools cut for four-star two-way player in Class of 2024

Penn State is officially in the running for an athletic four-star player in the Class of 2024. According to Hayes Fawcett of On3, California native Aaron Butler has updated his top schools list to 13, and Penn State is among the latest batch of candidates.

Butler was previously committed to USC but has recently reopened his recruitment. USC is still in the mix as well, and may still be considered the favorite. Penn State will have some work to do to make a big dent in this recruiting battle.

In addition to Penn State and USC, the other top schools reportedly in the hunt are Alabama, Colorado, Georgia, Michigan, Notre Dame, Ohio State, Oregon, Tennessee, Texas Tech, and Washington.

Butler has been profiled as an athlete because he is a versatile two-way player who has played cornerback and wide receiver. And at this point, it remains to be seen where his primary position may be at the next level. And, perhaps, his decision may come down to which position he will be given to play at each contending school in the recruiting process.

Judging by his social media feed, it does seem as though Butler would prefer to be considered a wide receiver over cornerback.

Penn State will be looking to add some playmakers at wide receiver in the Class of 2024. After losing [autotag]Parker Washington[/autotag] and [autotag]Mitchell Tinsley[/autotag] to the NFL draft, and seeing [autotag]Jaden Dottin[/autotag] enter the transfer portal, Penn State could use some more long-term options at the position. Penn State did add a couple of transfer wide receivers in [autotag]Dante Cephas[/autotag] from Kent State and [autotag]Malik McClain[/autotag] from Florida State.

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Ex-Florida State wide receiver transfers to Penn State

Penn State stabilizes wide receiver outlook with former Florida State receiver transfer Malik McClain

For the second time in the past week, Penn State has added a wide receiver to the program from the transfer portal. Former Florida State wide receiver [autotag]Malik McClain[/autotag] has reportedly enrolled in classes at Penn State and committing to the Nittany Lions. McClain has yet to announce the commitment on his Twitter profile, but he has updated his profile image on the social media account.

McClain played in all 13 games for Florida State during the 2022 season and caught 17 passes for 206 yards and three touchdowns. He caught 16 passes for 190 yards and two touchdowns in 2021.

McClain is a former four-star recruit of Florida State’s Class of 2021 from IMG Academy, a program Penn state is certainly no stranger to. At the time of his recruitment out of high school, McClain was the no. 38 receiver in the nation.

McClain’s transfer commitment is paired with the recent addition of [autotag]Dante Cephas[/autotag] from Kent State. Together, Cephas and McClain will help to fill the veteran void left by the departures of [autotag]Parker Washington[/autotag] and [autotag]Mitchell Tinsley[/autotag], who are both off to the NFL this spring. They should each help to take the pressure off the leading returning receiver, [autotag]Keandre Lambert-Smith[/autotag], who is coming off a terrific performance in the Rose Bowl.

McClain will also help to give the offense an experienced target, along with Cephas, as [autotag]Drew Allar[/autotag] steps in to lead the offense at quarterback in 2023. Allar is already having some Heisman hype surrounding him entering the new season. Having a receiver like McClain should help that cause.

This news also comes a day after Penn State added its second commitment in the Class of 2024 with the addition of four-star linebacker [autotag]Anthony Specca[/autotag]. So it’s been a pretty decent week for head coach James Franklin.

Of course, the transfer portal has a way of breaking even sometimes. Also on Wednesday, Penn State wide receiver [autotag]Jaden Dottin[/autotag] announced he was entering the transfer portal.

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Penn State wide receiver Jaden Dottin enters transfer portal

This Penn State wide receiver enters the transfer portal with three years of eligibility remaining.

As the window closes on the open transfer period in college football, Penn State appears to be set to see another player leave for another opportunity. [autotag]Jaden Dottin[/autotag] announced, via Twitter, on Wednesday he has made the decision to enter the transfer portal.

“Thank You Penn State and everyone involved with me for everything!” Dottin said in his message on Twitter. “I am forever grateful! I am now officially in the transfer portal with [three] years of eligibility.”

As Dottin noted, he will have three years of eligibility to make use of wherever he ends up next.

In three seasons at Penn State, Dottin recorded stats in just one game. That game came early in the 2022 season with two receptions for 14 yards in a win against Ohio.

By entering the transfer portal, Dottin is free to communicate with any other college football program interested in recruiting him. Dottin is also free to withdraw his name from the transfer portal database if he ultimately decides to remain at Penn State. Most players entering the transfer portal do leave for other programs, but it is not unprecedented for a player to evaluate their options and decide to stay put.

Penn State has not lost any current wide receivers to the transfer portal so far this offseason, but the Nittany Lions are set to lose [autotag]Parker Washington[/autotag] and [autotag]Mitchell Tinsley[/autotag] from last year’s roster. Washington declared early for the 2023 NFL draft and Tinsley’s eligibility expired.

Penn State has added to the wide receiver group by way of the transfer portal. It most recently picked up a commitment from former Kent State wide receiver [autotag]Dante Cephas[/autotag] and former Florida State wide receiver [autotag]Malik McClain[/autotag].

We’ll see where Dottin heads next and wish him the best of luck in his new environment.

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2022 Penn State football: Nittany Lions’ wide receivers preview

A quick look at what Penn State has on the roster at the wide receiver position heading into the 2022 season.

Penn State is prepping for a season in which the program hopes to redeem itself on the national stage. After back-to-back seasons of mediocre results, Penn State is aiming to bounce back and prove themselves worthy of being in the Big Ten championship hunt, if not a little bit more.

Penn State kicks off the 2022 season with a Thursday night primetime matchup at Purdue on September 1. After losing a first-round NFL draft pick in [autotag]Jahan Dotson[/autotag], Penn State has some big shoes to fill at wide receiver., Fortunately, the depth of the position could be in Penn State’s favor with the returns of [autotag]Parker Washington[/autotag] and [autotag]KeAndre Lambert-Smith[/autotag] and the addition of transfer [autotag]Mitchell Tinsley[/autotag]. And there are some young receivers to look forward to as well.

Here is a look at what Penn State has on the roster at the wide receiver position for 2022, starting with the top three receivers that should be a factor with the first-team offense this fall.

Inside the Box Score: The key stats from Penn State’s Blue-White Game

Inside the box score with some key stats from Penn State’s Blue-White Game.

Penn State’s Blue-White Game showed the Nittany Lions are still a bit of a work in progress in some key areas, but there were still some players and developments worth being optimistic about moving into the summer. And the final box score from a spring scrimmage like Penn State’s can oftentimes be misleading or unnecessarily overanalyzed. Nonetheless, it is a starting point for evaluating just where the Nittany Lions are heading once the 2022 season begins.

So, with the caution of not wanting to get too carried away with the official stats shared by Penn State from the Blue-White Game on Saturday afternoon, let’s dive headfirst into the key stats from the final spring practice of the season before Penn State moves to the next stage of its offseason.

And why not start with the quarterback position?

Quarterbacks

Matthew OHaren-USA TODAY Sports
  • [autotag]Christian Veilleux[/autotag]: 5-of-14, 75 yards
  • [autotag]Drew Allar[/autotag]: 6-of-14, 61 yards, 2 interceptions, 1 sack
  • [autotag]Sean Clifford[/autotag]: 4-of-7, 41 yards, 1 touchdown
  • [autotag]Beau Pribula[/autotag]: 2-of-3, 7 yards, 2 sacks

Sean Clifford had some decent production in his time on the field, including the game’s only touchdown pass (to transfer addition Mitchell Tinsley. Clifford also had the best performance from passers in seven-on-seven drills, for whatever that is worth.

Christian Veilleux had the most complete performance among those vying for backup consideration to Clifford. This could have been expected given he already has some in-game experience from last season.

Don’t get too down when reviewing the stat line for five-star quarterback Drew Allar, because he was not given much help at times by his receivers dropping passes or having a ball bounce off their hands. But he did have a number of throws that seemed to be just a tad behind his intended targets. And Beau Pribula also had some freshman moments, which was to be expected.

NEXT: Who were the top running backs in the Blue-White Game?

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Who stood out at Penn State’s first winter football workout?

Penn State coaches named their standout players from the first day of winter workouts.

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It was just over a month ago that the final game of Penn State’s 2021 season was played, and spring football is still a little more than a month away. But winter workouts are underway in Happy Valley as the Nittany Lions begin preparing for what they hope will be a big rebound season, and some new faces are starting to get to the grind with their new teammates.

Winter workouts officially got underway bright and early Tuesday morning and assistant coaches made sure to spread some encouraging news about who showed up to compete in the practice sessions.

Both coordinators took to their Twitter accounts to share who their unit’s best player was. Offensive coordinator Mike Yurcich named starting quarterback and team captain Sean Clifford as the offensive competitor of the day. Clifford announced his return for a rare sixth year of eligibility prior to Penn State’s appearance in the Outback Bowl. It will be the first offseason in which Clifford has had the same offensive coordinator to work with leading into a new season, and Clifford would like to make up for a few down moments in 2021 in his final year of eligibility.

Penn State’s new defensive coordinator, Manny Diaz, also went with a team captain for his defensive competitor of the day, with Jonathan Sutherland getting the props of the day from the new defensive playcaller. Sutherland has been a standout on special teams during his time at Penn State, with some defense mixed in. But Sutherland is expected to be a top candidate to take on a larger role in the defense in 2022.

Other notable players from Penn State’s first winter workout included cornerback Kalen King, defensive end Nick Tarburton, cornerback Ji’Ayir Brown, running back Keyvone Lee, wide receiver Jaden Dottin, tight end Tyler Warren, offensive lineman Juice Scruggs, and punter Barney Amor.

These winter workouts are the first that have been opened to early enrollees in Penn State’s Class of 2022, so we will be keeping an eye out for possible shoutouts from the coaching staff for any of the new faces in the crowd. Penn State will eventually be adding to its roster with other recruits in the Class of 2022 that have not enrolled early and any possible additions from the transfer portal, including recent commit from Cornell, Hunter Nourzad.

Penn State’s spring game, the Blue-White Game, is tentatively scheduled for Saturday, April 23 in Beaver Stadium.

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19 days until Penn State football 2021 season opener

There are now just 19 days to go until the Penn State football season kicks off in Madison, Wisconsin!

Happy Monday! We are officially 19 days away from Penn State football!

The Nittany Lions have several underclassmen that not too many people talk about. Today, we will talk about the current number 19, Jaden Dottin.

Dottin was a three-year letterman who lead his team to a conference title his senior year of high school. Dottin showed flashes throughout his high school career along with solid progression. That is exactly what Penn State is hoping to get out of the 6-foot-2 and 186-pound wide receiver.

Dottin was a four-star player coming out of high school whose best offer was from Penn State. He received offers from other schools, but committed to Penn State in 2019.

Penn State has a talented wide receiver room lead by draft-eligible standout Jahan Dotson.

Dottin played in the season finale against Illinois. He was one of several Nittany Lions to make their debuts that game.

Dottin enters this season as a sophomore, hoping to make more of a name for himself at State College.

Dottin is currently buried in the depth chart with lots of underclassmen hoping to make a name for themselves. Once Dotson leaves for the NFL, there will be several players in that wide receiver room to watch for the next few seasons to see who will step up and be their guy.

We are 19 days away from the season opener against the Wisconsin Badgers. This is going to be an exciting team to watch for the next few years to come, as they not only have the top recruiting class in 2022, but their current roster is loaded with talent that we hope to see more of this season.

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2021 Penn State Nittany Lions Profile Card: Jaden Dottin

Could receiver Jaden Dottin be a rising star for the Penn State passing game in 2021?

Name: Jaden Dottin

Number: 19

Position: Wide receiver

Class: Redshirt freshman

Height: 6′-2″

Weight: 185

Hometown: Cambridge, MA

High School: Suffield Academy (Conn)

Twitter: @JadenDottin

Overview

While a couple of freshmen wide receivers saw a good amount of playing time in 2020, Jaden Dottin appeared in just one game. Dottin was among the newcomers to redshirt for the 2020 season, and he appeared in just the season finale against Illinois to get a brief taste of stepping on the field in Beaver Stadium for an actual game.

Dottin did not record any stats in his lone appearance in the 2020 season, but the bar is still being raised for him and a couple of other young receivers Penn State hopes come along in 2021. And there should be a good reason to expect good things from Dottin in 2021.

Dottin is a former four-star recruit for the Nittany Lions in the Class of 2020. The New England product may have benefitted from redshirting last fall as he looked to improve his physical presence at a demanding position. The potential for big plays is certainly there for Dottin, and he could be one of the answers for a Penn State offense looking for some big plays out of the passing game besides star receiver Jahan Dotson.

An improved Dottin could see some playing time in the offense this season, although he may have to work his way up the depth chart before getting any serious big-play opportunities this fall.

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