Parker Washington Provides Power and Finesse To The Penn State Wide Receiver Room
Parker Washington is probably the most soft-spoken, humble wide receiver you’ll ever meet.
But by watching his play on the field and the energy he brings to the team, you’d think otherwise.
The 5-foot-10, 215-pound wideout from Sugar Land, Texas finally got into the end zone for the first time this season on Saturday and did it with an exclamation point, high-pointing a 35-yard heave from Sean Clifford over Minnesota’s Terell Smith for six. Washington flashed his ball skills and ability to attack the football, and afterwards popped up pumped up, amplifying the White Out crowd.
The Nittany Lions went on to score 21-unanswered points in the second half en route to a 45-17 White Out win over the Golden Gophers.
“We made the play call, and I was excited about it and confident in it and pre-snap we saw the perfect look that we’d been working on in practice and took advantage,” Washington said. “Sean and I were on the same page, he trusted me and I trusted him and I was just excited to make that play.”
Washington is a big-time playmaker and one of the most dynamic talents on Penn State’s roster. His value is mainly provided by his ability to run sharp routes with twitchy quickness, while attacking the ball at the end and snagging it with his sure hands. He can reel in almost anything, plays with a keen toughness and is a YAC machine.
This year, Washington has been a consistent 50+ yards per-game threat and a reliable option on third down. In the past, we’ve seen Washington’s ability to be a game changer, especially when he’s in space. He can also be a threat downfield as well, like we saw this past weekend.
He may have been overdue for his first score of the season, but it’s better late than never for a player of his caliber because he needs to be involved.
James Franklin said that he thinks the team is at its best when Washington touches the football. But Washington says Saturday night’s victory took a full team effort.
“We just got back to what we do, and being able to use our tempo to our advantage is key and I feel like it’s when we’re at our best,” Washington said.
Franklin and offensive coordinator Mike Yurcich already proved that when there was an extra emphasis, they knew how to get the tight ends involved in Saturday’s win. Next, it should be Washington.
Washington’s start to the season has been on par with his standards for the past two, nearly matching his reception and yardage totals. He’s never posted extraordinary touchdown numbers, but through seven games, the junior wideout the lone score which is a career low.
A large part of it has been Penn State’s success grinding the football on the ground, as freshman running back Nick Singleton has seven touchdowns on the ground through seven games, which is more than the Nittany Lions entire room in 2021. There’s also the fact that there’s no longer the Jahan Dotson-effect to avert attention away from him.
But maybe, perhaps it’s Washington drawing extra attention allowing Mitchell Tinsley time to shine as he’s tied for the most receiving touchdowns on the team with four.
Regardless, Washington’s not concerned about any of it. All he cares about is what’s in the win column.
“It’s bigger than [me]. It’s about being able to help the team and get them momentum and confidence,” Washington said. “I think that’s bigger, and I always want to look at the bigger picture.”
There’s plenty of the season left for Washington to make a bigger impact, and it starts this week against Ohio State where the Nittany Lions are going to need him.
Washington’s had relative success against the Buckeyes in the past, registering nine catches for 108 yards in last year’s nine-point loss and four catches for 74 yards in 2020’s 13-point loss – both of which would set season-highs for him in 2022.
It helps entering with some momentum coming off the walloping in the White Out win, not to mention playing back in Beaver Stadium/
“We talked about the sky’s the limit,” Washington said. “We’ve just got to continue to build and continue to stay focused and positive… I feel like that’s great momentum [going into next week], we just have to stay in alignment and stick to our foundation.”
Zach Donaldson is a fifth-year majoring in broadcast journalism. To contact him, email zach.donaldson1@gmail.com.
