Notebook: Gerad Parker Updates Growth at Wide Receiver

Upon arriving in State College in January, Gerad Parker quickly realized that he had a young, talented and “maybe underdeveloped” group of wide receivers.

On Thursday, the Nittany Lions’ new wide receiver coach offered an updated evaluation of his position group on a conference call.

Here’s what he had to say.

1) While Justin Shorter has impressed and is listed at the top of the depth chart, fellow redshirt freshman Daniel George is making a push for playing time.

“Shorter really started hot [in fall camp],” Parker said. “George has really, really kind of taken off right now and is practicing really well, so it's a good, healthy competition where both guys need to grow.”

Shorter hauled in three catches for 36 yards in the season opener, with George recording a pair of catches for 28 yards. George said Tuesday that Shorter has started to make the most out of his 6-foot-4, 235-pound frame, while Nick Bowers told reporters Wednesday that Shorter’s confidence has “skyrocketed” since last season.

“I've got to allow them both to grow together, but also give them what they deserve and allow them to go out there and get production and play well,” Parker said, “so it's going to be a good conversation as the year goes on.”

2) When asked to name the offensive version of himself Wednesday, Jayson Oweh brought up Will Levis and Jahan Dotson.

“People don’t know but Jahan’s a freak,” Oweh said. “He just does little stuff that would make other people exert a lot of energy, but he just does it so smooth and nonchalant.”

Parker noted that while Dotson “doesn’t physically look like” Shorter or George, the sophomore wideout has gotten stronger and possesses a particular set of intangibles.

“You hate to use cliches, but he really does have a high football IQ,” Parker said. “He's got really good feet at the line of scrimmage to create separation and you throw that in with really good ball skills and a competitive nature to compete in tight quarters, and you've really got yourself a pretty savvy football player."

3) Parker said that he’s embraced a positive approach when addressing the Nittany Lions’ drop issues from a season ago.

“I think more than anything, it was just developing a culture of 'Here's how you fix it' as opposed to the big sigh of a negative response to the negative result,” Parker said.

“The whole key is I don’t want to be like a little league dad,” he continued. “Meaning, I’m up there trying to throw strikes on the pitcher’s mound, and the dad who’s screaming, ‘Throw strikes, son, throw strikes.’ Everybody knows that that kid is not up there throwing balls on purpose…These guys all have really good ball skills, so it's not a problem physically.”

4) Parker went on for a couple minutes about the impact of KJ Hamler’s infectious personality as the wideout takes on a bigger leadership role in his redshirt sophomore season.

“He's electric on the field and he's also electric off of it,” Parker said. “He's a little bit of a diva, in a good way. He is a high-personality, mouth always moving, got a big smile on his face and he's also got a big heart.

“He treats people the right way; he treats my kids first class - they love him - he treats my wife first class. She loves him. This kid's approach to life is a really, really positive thing and that's something that people want to be around. So for that reason, of course, his value in our room is huge because when he is that way, it's a very affecting thing in our room.”

Hamler led the Nittany Lions with four catches for 115 yards and two touchdowns against Idaho, with all four receptions going for longer than 20 yards.

5) After entering the transfer portal in February, Cam Sullivan-Brown elected to stay at Penn State. Parker said he, “couldn’t be happier that he’s here.”

“I told him yesterday in the stretch line before we started practice. What he has done as a player and pushed himself to be better and improved his game and not really operating with a plan-B mentality, is really a tribute to what he's become,” Parker said. “I'm just very proud of what he's done since he's decided to stay with us."

6) Parker is also pleased with the progression of grad transfer Weston Carr, who had three receptions for 27 yards in his first game at the Division I level last Saturday.

“I really like how he responded playing in that atmosphere and he's a guy that has continued to progress throughout fall camp. He's learned the value of playing with his hands against press coverage and these things, he's started to get it. It's really cool to see him start trending that way.

“He's really going to add value for us and I think he was a good late pickup for us that has been kind of a no nonsense, no distraction guy that's embraced being here, so it's going to be cool to see him continue to grow and let us find ways to get him on the field and compete for jobs as we go through what we know is a long year.

7) Thirteen different receivers tallied a reception in the Nittany Lions’ 79-7 blowout win over Idaho last Saturday. Parker said he liked what he saw on film.

“Their perimeter blocking and how hard we played was something that was visible late that night when I graded the film at home,” Parker said. “I was just really impressed that they went out and played like vets for the most part.”

And beyond the play on the field, Parker walked away impressed from his first experience of Beaver Stadium’s atmosphere.

"It really is not something just to say: I'm honored, truly honored that I'm here...This place is special and I think last Saturday, it's forgotten sometimes, when you're not from here and haven't really experienced it, it's a good healthy reminder that it's special."