This spring is much different from the previous one for the IU receivers.
No longer is it a group of unknowns. The stars of the position are established. Last spring, IU offensive coordinator Kevin Johns was fielding constant questions about who might play.
There haven’t been questions of that nature this spring.
IU brings back three experienced receivers in seniors Ricky Jones and Mitchell Paige and junior Simmie Cobbs. The three combined for 2,625 yards and 15 touchdowns on 171 receptions last season.
But another major difference is who is throwing the ball to them. Last season, they had longtime starter Nate Sudfeld at quarterback. Now these guys have no idea who will be under center come August.
This spring isn’t as much about proving themselves and finding a spot. There are different objectives.
“This year, it’s more just focusing on getting on the same page as the quarterbacks,” Jones said.
Jones, now in his fifth season with IU, was already receiving jokes last summer about being the “grandpa” of the team. Add a 906-yard, five-touchdown season, and he’s even more of a veteran figure.
In addition to focusing on building connections with the quarterbacks, he said he has spent the offseason working on the little things he can improve for his final season.
It’s meant time in the film room identifying whether the problem was getting in and out of routes or creating space off the ball on press defense.
Jones and Paige, a fellow fifth-year player who came in as a walk-on, are the elder statesmen who Wilson has often credited with stepping up as leaders this offseason.
Paige is 5-foot-7, but he still brought in 684 yards and six touchdowns receiving in addition to two punt returns taken to the end zone.
“Mitchell Paige, also, is an old guy like me,” Jones said. “So we just being leaders and teaching guys what we know already, and they’re taking it and running with it.”
Cobbs, on the other hand, is the receiver with the biggest numbers but the most identifiable things to improve on. The 6-foot-4 wide out had 1,035 yards on 60 catches in his second season. He also had several drops on catchable balls.
“Made a bunch of hard catches and dropped some easy ones,” Cobbs said. “So my biggest focus on this spring and this winter was keep improving on catching.”
He said it comes down to focusing on the ball and catching with his eyes. The goal is getting to a point where he is so comfortable he doesn’t notice he is using his eyes.
His teammates have described some of his mistakes as simply young mistakes and have seen him come along way already.
“Simmie’s going to be a special player,” Jones said. “He really is.”
While the top three receivers are all returning, IU Coach Kevin Wilson has said he wishes the group had some more bodies and depth this spring. He doesn’t want to wear those three out, so he said that means players like freshman Isaac James will get more time.
Another receiver to watch is sophomore J-Shun Harris. Harris started at slot receiver as a true freshman in 2014 and showed promise before tearing his ACL last summer and missing the 2015 season. He is not taking on contact yet, but Wilson said he’s been participating.
Both Wilson and Jones have made sure to credit sophomore receiver Nick Westbrook as somebody having a good spring.
But all of this talent at receiver is dependent on the performance of the quarterback. As junior Richard Lagow, sophomores Zander Diamont and Danny Cameron and freshman Austin King fight this summer for the No. 1 spot, the receivers will be working with them.
“Without a quarterback, the wide receiver position really isn’t going to do that well,” Jones said.
