USU football fall camp diaries: Wide receiver
It’s no secret that Utah State football has one of the best quarterbacks in the Mountain West, and very possibly in the nation. Jordan Love had a sensational sophomore season and has now cemented himself in the top-tier of Division I quarterbacks. But he certainly hasn’t done it on his own. During his tenure as the Aggies QB, Love has had some solid playmakers, but has relied heavily on tall, athletic talent to catch the ball down the field.
Not to say there haven’t been prolific slot receivers on the team, but 40.5 percent of receptions and 41 percent of receiving yards have come from players lined up on the outside. The majority of that contribution came from Jalen Greene and Ron’Quavion Tarver, who have both since graduated. The Aggies, to their credit, actually ran a semi-versatile offense last season. But the passing game was somewhat one dimensional.
This year will tell a slightly different story.
At USU football media days, Jordan Love brought up the differences between this year’s pass-catching targets and the ones he threw 3,567 yards to in 2018.
“It’s a different group, that’s for sure,” the junior signal-caller said. “I’d say last year, (the wide receivers) were more, not as much speed, more big bodies. Just try and put the ball on them, stuff like that. But I think this year that’s what will be different. I think we’ve got more speed out there.”
The Aggies have four or five legitimate options in the slot receiver position. But more importantly, Love (or any quarterback in the game) will have his pick of any player on the field to throw the ball to, including the running backs.
“The cool thing about the offense is that it’s predicated around all five eligible receivers, all receivers are basically going to be used in the throwing game,” offensive coordinator Mike Sanford Jr. said. “Today for example, I think if you were to do a distribution of touches by position in the pass game, I’d say there’s not one group that had less than 15 percent of the touches.”
One group, however, that sticks out as a real weapon this season is the aforementioned slot receivers. Junior Jordan Nathan played primarily in the slot last season, but the plan as of now is to move him to the outside. This would free up the first-team spot at slot receiver, and the primary candidates currently are junior Taylor Compton, sophomore Deven Thompkins and freshman Cam Lampkin. Lampkin is a player that probably didn’t figure into the plans at the beginning of camp, in the eyes of the coaches.
“Cam’s been a real positive surprise, he caught the eye of our defensive coaches and we had a staff meeting and said we think he’s a guy that’s gonna be a playmaker.” Sanford said. “He showed up in one-on-ones and then put the onus on us as coaches to put him in there in critical situations, in a team period with all 11 guys playing against 11 defenders, and he showed up and made a huge play. I think he’s gonna be a guy that’s gonna be a really special player, and honestly, he’s a guy that we probably thought was gonna redshirt.”
During practice on the opening Saturday, Lampkin laid out for a catch on the far sideline of the field, which sent the team into a frenzy. It seems there is a lot of positivity behind the position group as a whole. Thompkins has been a focal point and impressed with good hands and some crisply executed routes. His role in the offense could easily step up this season with more opportunities and a slightly more dynamic offense. And the possibility of rotating receivers frequently throughout the game still remains. Sanford was confident, “ if we have a wealth of riches at any position it’s probably that slot receiver.”
In this photo: Siaosi Mariner. The USU football team run drills during the fall camp on August 3, 2019.
The bolstering of the slot receiver core doesn’t mean Utah State will be without a threat on the outside this season, far from it. Graduate transfer Siaosi Mariner is an outstanding athlete with good size and a wealth of experience from his three years at Utah, of which the final two he played a primary role in the Utes’ offense. He brings a certain level of hunger to the group and it’s evident that his determination to learn is what’s driving him. You could see Saturday after almost every play, Mariner asking questions or vocalizing his thoughts on the previous play. Across his career in Salt Lake City, he hauled in 52 receptions for 785 yards and four touchdowns.
“Siaosi had a really nice day today, contested catches, laid out for some balls which is great to see, you can see the desire and the want-to,” Sanford said. “He’s not doing this fifth year as a victory lap, he’s trying to come out here and have his best year of football and let the chips fall the way they may after this year.”
Along with Mariner, Utah State returns Nathan and junior Savon Scarver to compete for the outside receiver positions. Combined, the two caught 37 passes for 453 yards and five touchdowns, which isn’t a large contribution, but neither specialized on the outside last season. Nathan split time in the slot with Aaren Vaughns and Scarver was a first-team All-American kick returner that didn’t get many opportunities at receiver.
Incoming junior Sean Carter has played a lot with the first team through the start of camp. Fellow transfer Derek Wright joins Utah State from Snow College and has been featured in the offense as well. This, according to the coaches, is to get a good look at a player who might be the tallest receiver on the roster and is somewhat an unknown commodity. Utah transfer Caleb Repp has also impressed in his limited time at the tight end position.
“Caleb Repp has been outstanding, he’s had a great couple of days,” Sanford said. “We just held him a bit today because his motor is – he burns hot the whole practice – he’s already established himself as someone we think is going to contribute immediately and be a very impactful player for us.”
Repp primarily played on the defensive side of the ball at Utah, last season under Andersen, but his ability to catch the ball intrigued the coaches. In high school, Repp was recruited as a three-star tight end and played his freshman season at the position. Junior Carson Terrell returns to the team as the only tight end other than now Chicago Bears rookie Dax Raymond to catch a pass last season, allowing Repp an opportunity to fight for the starting job right away.
Whether it’s the outside, slot or tight end positions, playing time will be very much available to a lot of receivers. As wide receivers coach Jason Phillips put it, “I don’t think we’re in the evaluation phase until about 14-15 days in. But, I tell you what — the position group as a whole — there’s a lot of potential.”