Penn State Football: DaeSean Hamilton sets all-time receptions record

Penn State football has a new receptions leader. DaeSean Hamilton took the title after hauling in 9 passes for 122 yards and three touchdowns in their Week 5 win.

Penn State has been playing football for over a century. But, no player has caught more than 179 passes in their tenure at Happy Valley. At least, not until DaeSean Hamilton.

Hamilton, a 4-star recruit in 2013, was born in Okinawa, Japan, but played high school football in Stafford Virginia. He redshirted during his first year on campus before quickly becoming then-quarterback Christian Hackenberg‘s favorite target, a title that had previously been held by current Jacksonville Jaguars receiver Allen Robinson. That duo put in work.

Hamilton played like a man on fire during his redshirt freshman season, setting a few school records. He owns the freshman receiving record with an astonishing 82 catches, which also ranks second in school history for most receptions in a season. Hamilton also has the most most receptions in a single game, with 14, against Big Ten rivals Ohio State.

Simply put, Hamilton looked like the Lions next star, a player who could eventually surpass the aforementioned Robinson and become the best receiver in the Penn State’s storied history.

But over the team’s next two season, things didn’t quite go Hamilton’s way. After recording 82 catches for 899 yards and two touchdowns as a freshman, Hamilton only recorded 79 catches in his sophomore and junior season combined.

While Hamilton did record 1,086 yards and seven touchdowns in that time period, it appeared that the young receiver had fallen out of favor with new head coach James Franklin and had been surpassed on the depth chart by Chris Godwin. To be fair, Godwin eventually became a third round pick by the Tampa Bay Buccaneers in the 2017 NFL Draft.

After deciding to forgo the NFL and return to Happy Valley for his senior season, Hamilton has been off to an encouraging start in 2017. He has recorded 20 catches over the team’s first five games, good for an average of four per game. And in the Nittany Lions’ Week 5 game against Indiana, Hamilton became Penn State’s all time receptions leader after catching nine balls for 122 yards and three touchdowns.

With 191 receptions over the course of his five-year tenure in Happy Valley, Hamilton is currently on pace to finish the season with 48 catches for 795 yards and 10 touchdowns. Those numbers could increase considerably if the Nittany Lions makes a return appearance to the Big Ten Conference Championship game or make their College Football Playoff debut.

While he isn’t the biggest, fastest or strongest receiver in the nation, Hamilton has proven that he can make plays when called upon, and can be a reliable target across the middle of the field.

Even though Hamilton will probably never become a number one receiver at the next level, he does posses the college production and consistency of players like Rashad Greene and Justin Hardy, a pair of record-setting college receivers who have carved out nice niches in the pros as mid-round draft selections.

Next: Penn State Football: 5 overreactions from win over Indiana

If DaeSean Hamilton can continue to produce during his final year in Happy Valley, he could not only improve his NFL draft stock but also cement himself as one of the best wide receivers in Penn State history.

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