Whether it was leaving Nazareth High School to attend the Peddie School for his junior season of high school, originally committing to UCLA in the fall of 2017 or declaring for the NFL Draft that could have taken him anywhere in the country, Jahan Dotson certainly had opportunities to go anywhere throughout his impressive football career.
Somehow, he keeps ending up in and around the Lehigh Valley – a place he’s happy to call home.
“It’s been awesome just because this community has been supporting me from day one, so now that I’m not too far away and I get to come back any chance possible and they get to come down and come to games, it’s pretty cool,” Dotson said. “It’s crazy how life works out and that I’m only three hours away. It’s awesome and I don’t take it for granted at all.”
He eventually left the Peddie School after just one season to return home to Nazareth, decommitted from the Bruins to attend and excel at Penn State and ended up just a little over three hours away with the Washington Commanders in the NFL.
The third annual Jahan Dotson Impact Athlete Football Camp, sponsored by Lehigh Valley Health Network and hosted at the Charles Chrin Community Center, is just one way Dotson gives back to the community that’s stuck close to him as his fame skyrocketed in State College and Washington D.C.
“This is really big for me just because this community in the Lehigh Valley has been supporting me since I was in little league all the way up until I was in college,” Dotson said. “They’ve supported me endlessly, so any chance I get to give back to them for that support, I’m trying to do that.”
The former first round selection in the 2022 NFL Draft did so for approximately 250 kids who registered for the free event who are entering grades five through nine in the upcoming school year. With the help of 25 other collegiate student-athletes with local roots, including current Penn State offensive lineman and Parkland graduate Nick Dawkins, Dotson led the kids through position-specific drills.
Knowing that he never had an opportunity like this growing up is a driving force behind wanting to be that role model for the next generation of local athletes.
“Growing up around here, I never really had this opportunity to have a camp with someone on this type of platform, so I feel like God gave me this type of platform for a reason. It’s kind of like my calling to be able to host these kids at a camp and give them a fun day to ball out,” Dotson said.
Dominic Tocci, a seventh-grade camper who plays running back, enjoyed the opportunity to do just that.
“The running back coaches have been really nice and teaching me a lot,” Tocci said. “It was really cool [to see Dotson and Dawkins]. They’re inspirations to me and people I should follow.”
Dawkins, who is poised for a larger role in Penn State’s offense this season, has the same level of passion to give back and has expressed it by helping out during all three years of the camp.
“[Jahan]’s been an inspiration for me and also an inspiration to give back to the community,” Dawkins said. “I know we both are really heavy on giving back to the community that’s done so much for us, so it’s cool to see how this event has evolved.”
“Any time we can get any role model athlete, especially on the levels of Jahan and Nick, to come back and do something in the Valley, it’s beneficial for the youth,” Joe Luther, an Orthopedic and Sports Medicine Outreach Liaison for Lehigh Valley Health Network, said. “Youth sports are in a situation where they’re struggling for numbers and anything we can do to support youth sports in our region, especially in the Lehigh Valley, is big.
Having guys like Jahan and Nick come back and give back to the next generation of athletes will hopefully continue moving forward.”
For Dotson, going back to his roots is just one way he continues to develop and as he heads into a crucial third year of his rookie contract with the Commanders, it’s all about moving forward and finding appreciation in his hometown.
“Not only am I evolving, but the camp is evolving. It’s becoming bigger and bigger with more people hearing about it. I’m learning every single day and each and every year I feel like I’m getting better and that’s how I like to think about this camp,” Dotson said. “It’s only going to get better each year, but I’m always learning different ways to be better for the kids and for myself in my season. Overall, it’s been a success.”
Derek Bast is a freelance writer who can be found on Twitter/X at @derek_bast or reached by email at derekbast11@gmail.oom.
Source: Berkshire mont
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