Hometown Heros to NFL Stars – Saquon Barkley and Jahan Dotson: Part 1

In the NFL, players come from all over and face many different circumstances, but two stars, in particular, have such similar upbringings that it will absolutely shock you.

Early Life:
Saquon Barkley and Jahan Dotson, who spent most of their childhoods in what is known as the Lehigh Valley, the Allentown-Bethlehem-Easton Metropolitan Area located in eastern Pennsylvania, both grew up in much different environments.

Barkley was born in the Bronx of New York City in 1997. Both of his parents grew up in the Bronx and knew that they didn’t want their five children to have to endure the dangerous lifestyle that they did, so in June of 2021, they decided to move to a more suburban and safer Bethlehem P.A. where Barkley’s mother, Tonya Johnson, had family. They then relocated to Allentown before settling just a few minutes away in Coplay, 4 years after arriving in Bethlehem.

Dotson on the other hand grew up in Newark, New Jersey, specifically East Orange, just 40 minutes away from the Bronx. He also moved as a young kid for similar reasons as Barkley, in search of a safer area to grow up in, and ended up in Nazareth P.A., located 25 minutes from Coplay. After playing youth football, both players eventually began their respective high school careers where they gained immediate attention.

High School:
Barkley was a tremendous athlete in high school. He holds school records for career rushing yards with 3,642, career TDs with 61, single-season rushing yards with 1,851, and single-season TDs with 29. Barkley wasn’t only a force on the field he also was an incredibly talented track star where he set the school record in the 100 meters at 10.8 seconds.

He received both state and national level attention winning Mr. PA. Football for Classes 3A and 4A and winning MVP at the New Jersey Nike Football Training Camp, a prestigious invite-only camp, as well as a Rivals ranking camp during his senior year.

On top of a school record in the 100-meter dash, Barkley also won gold in 2015 during the EPC Championships in both the 100-meter and long jump, where he posted a personal record of 22’2.5″. Barkley also set personal best marks of 46’2.5″ in the shot put and 6’0” in the high jump.

Saquon also competed for Whitehall’s basketball squad, bringing his explosiveness and athleticism before the eyes of hoops fans as well.

As a four-star recruit and ranked as the 24th best running back in the country by ESPN, Barkley was considered one of the top prospects in the nation and held offers from schools such as Missouri, North Carolina, Notre Dame, Penn State, Ohio State, Pitt, Rutgers, Syracuse, and Temple. Barkley originally committed to Rutgers University, but after further consideration, he flipped to Penn State.

Dotson set school records in just 3 seasons at Nazareth, as he attended The Peddie School during his Junior season, with 187 receptions, 2,755 receiving yards, and 40 receiving touchdowns throughout his career as a Blue Eagle.

As a senior, he was named to the USA Today’s All-USA Pennsylvania team while also taking home the Eastern Pennsylvania Conference MVP Award.

Dotson was also a phenomenal track star where he won the PIAA state championship in the 4×100 relay, with a time of 41.86 seconds, and the long jump, with a leap of 24′ 4.5″ as a Sophomore. He also placed fourth in the 200-meter dash where he put up a personal record of 21.78 seconds in the preliminary stage. Two years later, he earned conference championships in the 100 meters, 200 meters, and 4×100 relay.

He also played basketball during his high school years which truly showcases his all-around athleticism.

Dotson was a highly sought-after four-star recruit. He received offers from schools including Ohio State, Alabama, Clemson, Michigan, Michigan State, Rutgers, Georgia, Miami, Ole Miss, Penn State, Tennessee, Notre Dame, Texas A&M, and more. He initially committed to UCLA before deciding to stay close to home at Penn State.

Barkley and Dotson only met once in high school. Dotson, a standout freshman at the time, and Barkley, one of the best running backs in the country. The Blue Eagles of Nazareth Area High school, home of Jahan Dotson, and the Zephyrs of Whitehall High School, home of Saquon Barkley, both compete in the Eastern Pennsylvania Conference, an elite division of large high schools in the Lehigh Valley and Poconos known nationally for producing an abundant number of NFL and other professional athletes.

In their one and only meeting together in high school, Barkley and the Zephyrs came out on top amidst a 52-7 rout of the Blue Eagles and Jahan Dotson. Their future college coach James Franklin was in attendance for this matchup to watch his recent commit Saquon Barkley but probably had little idea that the Nazareth freshman would be joining his squad as well just a few years later.

Both Barkley and Dotson were unbelievable athletes throughout their high school careers and left an important mark on their respective school’s histories. Dotson looked to follow in Barkley’s steps during his time in high school and did just that as they both moved on to play college football at Penn State University.

Stay tuned for Part 2!