Penn State star receiver Jahan Dotson will opt out of the Nittany Lions’ upcoming Outback Bowl appearance this weekend and enter the NFL Draft, he announced his decision on Monday evening.
“It’s been nothing but special to wear the Blue & White these past four years,” Dotson wrote. “I will forever be thankful for the love Happy Valley has shown me and the people it has been brought into my life.”
Dotson is the fourth player to opt out of Penn State’s upcoming bowl game joining linebacker Brandon Smith, Ellis Brooks and safety Jaquan Brisker in a growing list of Nittany Lions set to forgo the Outback Bowl and focus on the NFL Draft. Brisker announced his decision on Monday while Smith and Brooks both made their decisions known last week.
While a solid contributor on the field in 2019, Dotson made his first major mark at Penn State during a breakout 2020 season that saw him haul down 52 passes for 884 yards and eight touchdowns in just nine games.
He would follow up his breakout season in 2021 as one of the most sure-handed pass-catchers in America racking up 91 receptions for 1,182 yards and 13 touchdowns. HIs receptions and receiving touchdowns were both good enough for second-best in the Big Ten.
Where exactly Dotson will fall in the upcoming draft remains to be seen but most draft analysts project him to be among the first receivers off the board with the potential for a first round selection.
Dotson leaves Penn State sitting at No. 4 in all-time in receiving yards, No. 2 in receiving touchdowns while holding the program’s single-game receiving yard mark with the 242 yards posted this season against Maryland at College Park.
