MOBILE, Ala. ? With a first-year football program, a coaching staff often will have no idea what kind of player is going to walk onto the field when practice starts seeing how the initial recruiting class has yet to enroll in school. Some walk-ons eventually turn into hidden gems, while others will see their playing career come to an end soon after spring drills are completed.
In the end, some positions will be prepared to make immediate contributions, other’s effectiveness will be determined by the strength of the incoming class.
The University of South Alabama’s football team is finding that one area where a solid foundation is developing is at wide receiver.
The group includes a mix of experience and youth, as a half dozen of the players at the position came to USA from four-year schools while another six have never played above the high school level.
“This has been a fun group to work with, everyone has been working hard. They’re very coachable kids,” said Dameyune Craig, the former Auburn quarterback who coaches Jag receivers. “They love the game and they love to play, which has led to a lot of competition on the field. That has really made it a lot easier to coach this group.”
As a unit, wide receivers accounted for 18 receptions, 252 yards and four scores in the team’s most recent scrimmage Friday, highlighted by Courtney Smith’s six-catch, 120-yard performance. Lim Windham added three receptions, Danzel Harris and Erling Riis each caught two balls, while Taylor Noon, Donte Rome and Ralph Turner all had their only catch result in a touchdown.
Smith began his career at UAB, catching six passes for 33 yards while appearing in 11 games as a true freshman for the Blazers in 2006. Turner transferred from Southern Mississippi, where he was selected the Golden Eagles’ most improved offensive player in 2007.
With a first-year program, the long-term goal is for those individuals with experience to not just produce in games but to help Craig and the rest of the staff teach younger players their responsibilities and how to do things the right way at their position.
“The wide receivers have a chance to be one of the best assets of our team next year, mainly because of Courtney and Ralph,” head coach Joey Jones, a former wideout at Alabama who was named to the school’s All-Decade Team for the 1980s, stated. “Their leadership has been great, and they have worked hard on the field also.”
Jones’ evaluation of the duo has them on track to accomplish Craig’s goal of having the older receivers in the program become mentors to the younger individuals.
“In the long run we will be able to use the more experienced players as examples of how we want to do things, but right now everything is new to them also,” said Craig. “They’re learning new techniques and getting used to a different coaching style. The fundamentals that we work on might be a little different than what they are used to.
“They have caught on, though, so when the incoming class gets on campus this summer our experienced receivers can be at the forefront teaching. Eventually you want to get to where the older guys are able to teach the younger players when you are not around, I think that once we get through the summer we will be at that point.”
“Being part of another high-level program was great because I already knew when I got here how hard you have to work. I also had an idea of what the coaches expected,” Turner, a 5-foot-10, 180-pound native of Dothan, Ala., said. “When it comes to teaching the younger guys, I just try to show them the ropes. When they first got here a couple were struggling, so I had them over to my apartment to go over some things and help them get better.”
But that’s not to say that previous collegiate experience will determine who plays in the fall. Windham graduated early from Alma Bryant High in Mobile in order to enroll in classes and take part in spring practice, while Noon came to the program from Niceville (Fla.) High School. Both have received significant time playing with the first-team unit in the last month.
“With the young guys, they haven’t had the time to develop bad habits so it’s easier to help them grow,” Craig commented. “Older guys can be set in their ways, so it might be a little tougher to teach them new techniques.”
There is more to the variety of receivers in the USA program than just their level of experience. With different skill sets, the coaches already know that they have guys who will be comfortable in different roles in the Jaguar passing attack.
“Our guys have range in the 40-yard dash from 4.3 to 4.8 seconds,” observed Craig. “Some guys are deep threats, some have great hands and are reliable catching the ball, and others run great routes. It’s a great mix ?they are versatile and have learned the offense quickly.
“The key is to put each player in a position where they are comfortable so that they can be productive and you know you are getting 100 percent out of them.”
“Any time you look for receivers you look for speed, you try to find guys who can run. But, you’re not always going to be able to find a receiver who can run the 40-yard dash in 4.3 seconds,” added Jones. “We like that we have a mixture of guys that we can look to in the fall.
“Courtney and Lim have great size for wide receivers. They can block, be physical inside and catch the ball in traffic. Then there are guys like Ralph who have great speed who can make a big play.”
“We have both possession and speed receivers,” said Turner. “I know my role is to be a speed receiver, and Courtney and Lim are good possession receivers. We’re going to be able to do some great things this year because of the diversity of our group, even though that might not have been expected from us.”
Actually, according to Jones not only do the Jaguars have receivers with different body types and skills now, it’s the plan for the program to continue to have a combination of styles in the future. “When we were recruiting we paid attention to how many big guys we had and how many smaller players we had at the position,” he said. “I think we have a pretty good balance at receiver in our incoming recruiting class too.”
Regardless of their size, speed and skill set, each receiver has needed to learn the Jags’ spread system to get on the field this spring.
“Other than terminology, I think it is a very easy offense to learn,” said Jones. “All receivers are encouraged by the number of routes we have, and usually they are not as excited about blocking. Because of that, we have created a mentality that they will not be on the field unless they block. You can’t just go out, run routes and catch passes and not worry about blocking because that means you can’t run the football to your side of the field. That cuts down on what the offense can do.
“When they can do both we will have a complete player.”
Another aspect of learning the Jags’ offensive system is to recognize the different responsibilities and roles that need to be filled. “There are different responsibilities going from high school to college,” stated Windham, who is 6-foot-2 and 200 pounds. “A lot of us were key players in high school, but we need to know our role here to be able to contribute.”
Ultimately, this is a group that already has players on the field this spring that Jones and Craig are expecting to contribute immediately when the Jags suit up for games beginning in September.
“We have some receivers who can play at the Division I level right now,” Jones commented. “The thing that we need to do is carry that on with the younger guys so that we can fill in behind them and build up our depth.”
“We’re pretty solid, and not just because of guys like Courtney, Ralph and Lim,” stated Craig. “I’m just as proud of the younger guys who have walked on and made themselves better players. You understand what you are getting when a highly recruited kid comes in, but when you get guys like Danzel, Taylor, Colton Byrd, Lamontis Gardner and Philip Matthews who have come a long way, it makes you feel good as a coach about the progress they have made from day one to now.”
And while the immediate concern is what happens on the field in the fall, Craig understands that there might be individuals with the program now who have the potential to play beyond the collegiate level at the conclusion of the Jaguar careers. “Any time you get a kid who can run the 40 in 4.3, 4.4, 4.5 seconds and is 6-foot-5, 220 pounds, that’s an individual who can play at the next level,” he continued. “Hopefully we can reach the potential of that player so they can do some things far beyond their playing career at South Alabama.”
“It’s a great thing that our coaches are looking after our best interests,” Windham said. “They told me since day one in the recruiting process that there is life after football and to make sure I take care of my education first. But coach Jones and coach Craig have played professionally, so they know everything that you need to do, the intensity you need to play with to get to that level.”
Of course, before the players worry about that there’s the program’s first-ever season to concentrate on in the fall. At least the coaching staff knows there is one position where the talent is available to contribute from game one.
For more information about South Alabama athletics, check back with www.usajaguars.com. Season tickets for all Jaguar athletic events can be purchased by calling (251) 461-1USA (1872).
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