FAYETTEVILLE -- The many receivers for the Arkansas Razorbacks know their opportunities to rack up numbers should be on the rise in the uptempo offense under Coach Chad Morris and coordinator Joe Craddock.
It's the deep-ball part of the offense that has caught their fancy, however, and they're going to turn it into a public statement.
"The bomb squad, the receivers, we're ready for everything," senior Jonathan Nance said Thursday. "We came up with it as a group, together. We're getting shirts and everything.
"We're going bomb squad. We're going over the top."
No position group at the University of Arkansas, Fayetteville has as many candidates for as many open slots as the receivers. No other position is as tangled with possibilities for position coach Justin Stepp.
Morris, who uses the numbers 2, 3, 5 and 9 to identify the receiver spots, indicated Thursday there hasn't been a receiver who has been clearly the top performer thus far.
"Has there been one guy that says, 'Hey, I'm the guy. I'm the playmaker. I'm the guy, put the ball in my hands right now?' " Morris asked rhetorically. "No, not yet.
"But that's by design, too, because we've been so focused on cross-training these guys and trying to let them learn the concepts."
Morris said the 2 position is like the "Z" in many offenses, the 9 is the boundary receiver, the 5 is the bigger "Y" receiver, and the 3 is more of a tight end or H-back spot.
At Thursday's practice, the 12th of spring and the last before Saturday's Red-White game, the starting wideouts during the opening team period were seniors Jared Cornelius and Nance, and junior La'Michael Pettway, with Austin Cantrell in the "3" position.
Junior Deon Stewart, redshirt freshman Tyson Morris and true freshman Mike Woods were running with the second unit, along with tight end Cheyenne O'Grady.
Nance said he caught a scoring pass in 7-on-7 work against zone coverage, and Woods turned a double-move into a touchdown catch Thursday.
Morris, asked Thursday which receivers had taken the lead during spring drills, segued first to sophomore Jordan Jones, who has not gotten much first-team work.
"Jordan Jones is a guy that's got great speed -- elite speed -- that's got to continue to keep coming on," Morris said. "Mike Woods has done a really good job.
"De'Vion [Warren] has done a really good job. We've got, goodness, several guys who are cross-training because we're trying to find that right fit. That boundary receiver is so critical for us."
Morris added that Pettway has "really come on" in the past three practices.
"It's just learning the concepts, getting everything down, knowing where to be, where to go and when the quarterback wants us there," Pettway said to describe his recent move.
Pettway said he's also on a diet that has allowed him to drop 10 pounds from 230 to his current weight of 220.
The return of Cornelius, who has 79 career receptions for 1,163 yards and 10 touchdowns, gives the unit a veteran leader, but he has been held out much of the spring after tearing his Achilles tendon in September.
Freshman Koilan Jackson and sophomore Kofi Boateng, who are both recovering from knee surgeries, have been held out of live contact. The coaching staff has rotated and revolved the other 12 wideouts through 12 spring practices, looking for consistent targets who can get off the line, get separation, stay on the same page with the quarterbacks and hold on to passes.
The tryouts have featured plenty of ups and downs.
"We're trying to figure out what everybody can do," Craddock said.
Nance is the top returning pass catcher with 37 catches for 539 yards and 5 touchdowns. He showed a knack for big-play touchdowns in games against Texas A&M and South Carolina, and a tipped pass to himself that nearly went for a score on a 54-yard gain on the final play of the first half against Coastal Carolina.
Jones, who ranks among the team's fastest players along with Deon Stewart and Chase Hayden, had touchdown receptions in consecutive road games against South Carolina and Alabama last season, then grabbed a 57-yard deep ball score from Austin Allen in the finale against Missouri.
"Jordan's got to just show us a little bit more," Craddock said last week. "You know, we'll see a glimpse, and then it's just uhhh.
"We've got to get him to where he's really just going after it and competing hard every play. We've got to have him block on the perimeter a little bit better. But there's no doubt, he's got a lot of speed and a lot of ability down the field. We've got to get him to be a more well-rounded receiver."
Craddock said the competition has been stiff for all the wideout spots.
"It's all about making plays," he said. "When the ball's in the air and you've got a 50-50 ball, go get it. And some of the guys are doing that better than others right now."
At a Glance: Wide Receivers
Returning starters Jonathan Nance (6 starts in 2017), Deon Stewart (6), Jordan Jones (6), Jared Cornelius (2)
Losses Maleek Barkley (moved to RB)
Who's back Brandon Martin, La’Michael Pettway, Jarrod Barnes, De’Vion Warren, Kofi Boateng, Koilan Jackson, Gary Cross
Who's new Mike Woods
Walk-ons Tobias Enlow, De’Shawn Gulledge, Tyson Morris
Analysis Dependable pass catchers are must-have pieces in a Chad Morris offense, so the opportunity is ripe for multiple players from the large group of contenders to nab playing time. Nance, the leading returner, has seemingly taken the most reps with the starting unit, while Cornelius’ career statistics and veteran leadership should merit a solid position if he’s healthy. After that, reps seem to be up for grabs. Pettway’s progress from the midway point of spring until now has been notable, and the walk-on Tyson Morris had a big first scrimmage. Jordan Jones’ playing time is expected to be on the rise when he fully grasps the schemes. It seems certain there will be fluctuation in this unit on into fall camp in August.
Sports on 04/06/2018