Penn State Player Spotlight: DaeSean Hamilton

Audio/Story posted September 1, 2016 in CommRadio, Sports by Sports Staff

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John McHugh, Tommy Butler and Breanna Moore discuss Penn State wide receiver DaeSean Hamilton.

 

In his third active year on the Penn State football team, DaeSean Hamilton looks to impress his coaches yet again. With the number five on his back he will be one of the starting wide receivers on the team for the third year in a row.


Before coming to Penn State in 2013, Hamilton went to Mountain View High School in Fredericksburg, Virginia. While he was there, he lettered all four years at wide receiver under Coach Lou Sorrentino. Sorrentino also coached former Penn State All Big Ten wide receiver Deon Butler in high school, who Hamilton reminded him of.


Hamilton was one of the highest rated wide receivers out of Virginia and was ranked as a four star recruit by ESPN.  He won many awards his senior year, including Commonwealth District Offensive Player of the Year.


In his redshirt freshman year at Penn State he looked like he was poised to be a star from the get go. In his first game against the University of Central Florida in Ireland, he broke the school’s freshman record for receiving yards in a game with 165 and the record for catches in a game with 11.


By the end of the season, in which he started all thirteen games, he led the Big Ten in receptions from start to finish with 82. He also ranked fourth in the Big Ten with 69.2 receiving yards per game and fifth with 889 receiving yards total. He was the only freshman averaging more than 5.8 catches per game in the NCAA.


Hamilton’s second season was not poor, but also not what everyone had become accustomed to seeing out of him. He finished the year with just over half the receptions of the previous year with 45. Hamilton also gained over 300 less yards, finishing with 580. Hamilton did, however, catch six touchdowns during the season, four more than his redshirt freshman campaign.


Now as a senior with junior eligibility, Hamilton will graduate and can declare for the NFL Draft at the end of this year. He will be aiming to top his record-breaking freshman year, and, in turn, his not-quite-as-amazing sophomore year.


It may be difficult to top his freshman year, however, with a new quarterback in Trace McSorely, a new offense under coach Joe Moorhead, and the other wide receivers looking to get on the field. It is unknown at the moment who McSorely will be most comfortable throwing to, meaning another receiver could step up and get the ball more often.


In the new offense, Hamilton will be a slot receiver. In the press conference leading up to the Kent State game this week, he was asked how he liked his role.


“I like it, it means I will be guarded by backs who aren’t used to covering, usually former wide receivers” Hamilton said. He has also added some muscle during the offseason to give him more of an advantage in the slot.


Be sure to look out for Hamilton on Saturday, September 3rd at 3:30pm, and listen live on ComRadio, as he and the rest of the Nittany Lions take on the Kent State Golden Flashes to open the season.

Tommy Butler is a sophomore majoring in broadcast journalism. To contact him, email tommybutler1480@gmail.com.