All 105 is a Nittany Sports Now series profiling each Penn State football player. Here’s a profile of third-year receiver Parker Washington.
Before Penn State: Washington, a Sugarland, Texas, native, played high school football at William B. Travis High School. As a senior, Washington helped the Tigers to a perfect 10-0 season and district championship, catching 49 balls for 829 yards and 14 touchdowns. As a junior, Washington caught 75 passes for 1,486 yards and 21 touchdowns. He committed to Penn State in July of 2019. Washington’s cousin, Josh Dobbs, was a star quarterback at Tennesse and is now with the Cleveland Browns.
2020: Washington was a bright light in a disappointing 4-5 season for Penn State. The true freshman caught 36 passes for 489 yards and six touchdowns, all second on the team to Jahan Dotson, who the Washington Commanders took with their first-round pick in April’s NFL draft. Washington’s performance earned him second-team freshman All-America honors from the Athletic.
2021: Washington continued to impress, again finishing second to Dotson in catches, (64) yards, (820) and touchdowns (five). His 64 receptions placed him sixth in the Big Ten and his 820 yards placed him ninth. He eclipsed 100 yards twice in 2021, against Villanova (148 yards) and Ohio State (108).
Where he stands: With Doston gone, quarterback Sean Clifford loses his favorite target from the 2019 and ’20 seasons.
Add Nittany Sports Now as a preferred source in Google! Click here to add us.Many Penn State fans expect Washington to fill Dotson’s shoes at the No. 1, or at least share that role with Western Kentucky transfer Mitchell Tinsley. Washington is already 22nd on Penn State’s all-time receiving list and has a good chance of moving into the top 10 by the end of 2022.
A quote about Washington
“He’s tough to bring down,” wide receivers coach Taylor Stubblefield said before the 2021 season. “He’s strong. … He is big, and he’s powerful, and he’s explosive.”
