Penn State’s budding freshman wide receiver Parker Washington doesn’t hail from an area that’s generally considered a Nittany Lion recruiting hot spot, but he’s fit in just right thus far during his time in Happy Valley.

Hailing from Sugar Land, Texas, Washington quickly made his presence felt in his first season at Penn State. The 5’10” wideout made a catch in all nine of Penn State’s games, including a nine-catch day against Michigan, as well as a pair of two-touchdown performances against Maryland and Michigan State.

“I’m loving it here at Penn State. It’s been nothing but great to me even through the recruiting process,” Washington said. “The opportunity I saw is just having the opportunity to compete for a national championship. I’m excited for this team.”

A dismal 4-5 record for the Nittany Lions in 2020 was really no fault of Washington’s. Several of those dominant performances added up to 36 total receptions worth 489 yards and six scores on the season. Not too shabby for a true freshman.

Washington’s standout season, second only to Jahan Dotson, came alongside receivers coach Taylor Stubblefield, who was also in his first year in Happy Valley this past fall. The former Purdue superstar was a huge factor in Washington’s successful adjustment to college football.

“I started to feel comfortable definitely when I started to get more time with Coach [Stubblefield],” Washington said. “He helped me a lot, especially lining up defenses and getting comfortable with how fast college football really was.”

Washington added that he’s got no shortage of confidence in making the touch catches, as he gets consistent work on the jugs machine. However, more growth will come from getting a better handle on understanding coverages alongside “Coach Stubbs.”

“Coach always talks about the IQ,” Washington said. “He’s like, ‘Sometimes you’re at the 100 level. We need you at 200-level IQ.’ We’re definitely working at that, and I’m working with him every day on it.”

A 36-catch true freshman season is nothing to scoff at, and many fans would likely be happy with Washington as the leader of a young pass-catching group. He’s clearly not alone, though, as Dotson is coming off of a dominant 2020 campaign.

Entering his fourth season in Happy Valley, Dotson is shaping up to be one of the top pass-catchers in the conference. That’s exactly what he did in 2020 when he led the Big Ten with 52 grabs for 884 yards. Dotson also tacked on nine total touchdowns in the nine-game season.

The Nazareth, Pennsylvania native would’ve been just fine taking his talents to the NFL, but Washington couldn’t be happier that he elected to stay.

“With the type of person Jahan is, you would learn he’d never want to leave his teammates,” Washington said. “Just seeing him in practice, he helps a lot of his teammates, including me. He’s a great dude, and you can just see his work ethic.”

Washington is expected to play in the slot in 2021 while Dotson grows as a favorite target of Sean Clifford’s. The sophomore still feels that he and his quarterback have plenty of room to grow together until Penn State’s season opener at Wisconsin on September 4.

“During spring ball, it’s exciting to see we’re still actually learning from each other and learning things each and every day,” Washington said. “I feel like getting this time in spring ball is really helping us because we didn’t necessarily get that chemistry last year. You can definitely see that in the whole receiver room.”