Wynn makes impact despite size

It is quite possible this season that redshirt freshman guard Cody Evers, listed at 310 pounds, will throw a block allowing a player less than half his size to race down the field.

True freshman wide receiver Shane Wynn stands at listed measurements of 5-foot-7 and 153 pounds.

Despite that, Wynn has quickly found a niche in the IU football team in the wide receiver rotation and as part of special teams.

“We knew before he got here that he was going to have good speed and good explosiveness,” Offensive Co-coordinator and Wide Receivers Coach Kevin Johns said. “What we didn’t know was how quickly he would learn the offense. He was here in the summer. He started learning it, and he’s done a great job. That’s what’s helped him play more than anything else.”

Wynn is currently second on the depth chart at one of the wide receiver positions behind senior Dre Muhammad. Both players typically play an inside receiver position, often the home for smaller receivers.

“I think he’s someone like me in the sense that he’s a smaller-type receiver,” Muhammad said. “You’ve got to go out there and be tougher than, say, a Damarlo Belcher or a Duwyce Wilson because you go against guys bigger than you.”

However, Johns believes that Wynn may actually benefit to some extent from his stature.

“Sometimes when you’re a little shorter it gives you a chance to run routes a little bit better,” Johns said. “You can hide your pads a little bit better. You can get around guys a little bit better. It’s not a huge advantage, but it doesn’t hurt him, either.”

As a backup wide receiver, Wynn had two catches for 27 yards in IU’s Saturday loss to Ball State.

His most important contributions this season, though, could come returning kicks alongside true freshman running back Matt Perez.

“I’m the off-returner. Shane’s the guy who catches and I’ll lead him up through it,” Perez said. “I’m kind of a bigger guy, so I can block. I’ll be able to block if he leaks through. Shane’s real shifty. He’s got good breakaway speed. I think he could definitely break a lot of long ones this year.”

Coming out of Glenville Academic Campus in Cleveland, Wynn was offered football scholarships by Miami, Michigan, Ohio State and USC, but ultimately chose IU for the opportunity to play for Kevin Wilson.

“I ended up at IU because I like Coach Wilson,” Wynn said. “Real cool coach, player’s coach, and my mom likes him. I liked it on my visit. Coach Wilson got straight to the point. He ain’t tell no lies to me. He ain’t sugarcoat anything. He just told me to come here and work hard. I like coaches that are just true to the game and true to me.”

Wynn is the smallest player on IU’s roster by 13 pounds, but it is not the first time he has found himself in such a scenario.

“I’ve been small my whole life,” Wynn said. “I just have to work harder than the bigger guys. Just keep pushing, just keep fighting.”

Muhammad said he believes that Wynn’s fighting instincts are what have allowed him to find a place on the field so quickly, and they are only improving.

“I think Shane actually has gotten a little bit tougher, but at the same time, he came in and he’s been tough from the get-go,” Muhammad said. “I think that the way he plays is the way he has to play his whole life, so I think toughness is something that just stuck with him.”
While Wynn is nearly always the smallest player on the field, Perez said he believes the sheer breadth of what Wynn can do with his speed more than makes up for it.

“He’s very fast. He’s quick,” Perez said. “He can juke people like it’s no one’s business. He’s got good hands. He’s a good competitor. I think he brings a lot of good things to the offense. A good speed receiver who can hit it up the seams and catch bubbles on the outside and make people miss and make big plays.”