Texas A&M: \ While many eyes in Aggieland are fixed on the quarterback competition and who Johnny Manziels successor will be, another task that carries significant weight at Texas A&M is finding the next big-time receiver. With Mike Evans gone, the Aggies are looking for their next star at the position, one that has seen records broken several times in the last few years. There is a lot of talent among the Texas A&M receivers, but it is mostly unproven and inexperienced talent. With spring football underway, the Aggies coaches have a chance to discuss and dissect the multitude of openings they have at wide receiver. Malcome Kennedy is the Aggies most experienced returning receiver after catching 60 passes for 658 yards and seven scores in 2013.One thing that we have now that we didnt have at this position when we got here is that we have an enormous amount of depth, Texas A&M receivers coach David Beaty said. We have real SEC receivers here. Thats something that weve developed over a two-and-a-half, three-year period. The most productive returning receiver is veteran Malcome Kennedy. He is the lone returning starter, having hauled in 60 passes for 658 yards and seven touchdowns last season. Beaty has praised Kennedys work ethic and leadership before, and Kennedy emerged as a reliable target for Manziel last season. Now its about figuring out who the starters will be, which eight receivers will occupy the two-deep and who will separate themselves from the pack. One player most people seem excited to have back in the fold is redshirt freshman Ricky Seals-Jones, who sat out most of last season with a knee injury he suffered in the season-opening win over Rice. Getting him back healthy is a blessing for us, Beaty said. The guy’s got unlimited potential. We really needed him back. I look for him to make huge waves for us. Through two practices so far, coaches say the 6-foot-5, 230-pound Seals-Jones doesnt appear to show any ill effects from knee surgery. He looks good to me out there, offensive coordinator Jake Spavital said. Hes a big target and hes obviously going to bring a whole other element to what were trying to do. He can stretch the field vertically, and hes very big and physical on the perimeter. Perhaps the most exciting name to Aggies fans among the receiver group is one of the newest: five-star recruit Speedy Noil. Ranked as the nations No. 1 athlete prospect in the 2014 ESPN 300, he is already drawing positive reviews from teammates and coaches in his short time on campus. Beaty called Noil “the best receiver in the country” in the 2014 recruiting class. “As explosive as anybody Ive ever seen,” Beaty said. “Combination of strength, speed and explosiveness. Really smart guy.” One player who could emerge as an option at outside receiver is redshirt freshman Kyrion Parker. At 6-foot-2, 190 pounds, Parker has several physical gifts. This guy is as talented as any receiver Ive ever had, Beaty said. Hes got to grow up and mature, and Ive watched him do that before my eyes. Hes starting to grow into his own. I look for great things from him in the future. He does things that other people cant do. Hes big, hes strong, hes fast, hes got great hand-eye coordination. He can go get the ball deep. Hes a better route runner than Mike [Evans] probably was at this point in his career. There is also an assortment of receivers who received modest playing time last season at varying levels: LaQuvionte Gonzalez (21 catches, 240 yards), Edward Pope (nine catches, 65 yards) and JaQuay Williams (four catches, 71 yards). Any of the three could be factors this fall. “LaQuvionte Gonzalez grew up a ton this year,” Beaty said. “Youd like to redshirt a guy like that, but we werent able to. He was a guy that benefited from it. ... I think youre going to see him do some great things. “JaQuay Williams, another really good talent that can do a lot of great things and has come a long way from the time he got here at this time last year. Ed Pope, another guy that Im looking for to step up and compete. Hes got to do a better job of putting on weight and getting really serious about this because there are some real guys here now.” With so many inexperienced receivers and only one real seasoned veteran in Kennedy, head coach Kevin Sumlin said getting all of these players as much work as possible is the most important part of spring for the receiver group. “Reps, reps, reps,” Sumlin said. “Reps right now are as important as anything.” When it comes to figuring out which of the above names are going to emerge as prominent players, Beaty said it’s simple to figure out. “Heres whats going to happen: The serious, committed guys, those guys will rise to the top,” Beaty said. “The ones that are here just kind of messing around, those guys will drop to the bottom. There are just too many good players here now.”
Posted on: Wed, 05 Mar 2014 00:46:44 +0000
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