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Spring football: Broad range of skills among receivers

Posted March 13, 2008

I'm about to make a totally unfair comparison. But, hey, what would sports writing be without them?

The corps of wide receivers on the Colorado football team in 2007 caught 143 passes for 1,829 yards. Those numbers dwarf the paltry totals put up at the position in 2006 (73 catches, 948 yards).

That's a clear sign of progress from the offense and the position.

But to be fair, you have to consider that the entire offense was making a transition to a new scheme in 2006 and played most of that season with a quarterback who had been yo-yoed between positions for years and never directed a passing attack in games.

With spring practices set to begin Monday, wide receivers coach Eric Kiesau is working with a young group. Staples of the past such as Dusty Sprague and Stephone Robinson are gone, but young doesn't necessarily translate to inexperienced.

Five wideouts with double-digit catch totals in either 2006 or 2007 return. The veterans in the group are seniors Cody Crawford, a one-time walk-on who has become, perhaps, the most dependable guy at the position, and Patrick Williams, who has taken a step forward each year in his development from a high school option quarterback.

The flashy, big-play guys are sophmores-to-be in 2008. Josh Smith and Kendrick Celestine get fans' blood pumping each time they touch the ball even though neither of them knows what it feels like to have the ball in their hands in the end zone, yet. Their speed and skill will eventually get them there.

That brings us to the team's leader in both receptions and receiving yards last season. Scotty McKnight is another sophomore-to-be. McKnight is good friends with starting quarterback Cody Hawkins and that chemistry paid off in 2007. Hawkins always seemed to find McKnight when he needed him. They combined on four touchdown passes and 19 plays of 10 yards or more.

In just those members of the receiving corps, CU quarterbacks will have a nice mix this spring of dependability, speed, good hands, solid route running and ability to make plays after the catch. Obviously Kiesau wants the entire group to continue to improve in all those areas.

The beauty of Kiesau's position right now is that he has much more with which to work than just the aforementioned players. In fact, many CU fans still haven't seen the guy who might be the most complete wideout in the group.

Markques Simas is coming off a redshirt year that served him well. He was able to gain weight and strength, improve his speed, learn the system, get a year of classes under his belt and understand the detail needed in footwork and route running at the college level.

Simas is a 6-foot-2, 200-pound product of the San Diego area, who was the highest rated player at his position in the state of California in the 2007 recruiting cycle. Big things are expected from him this year. Put him and Williams and Smith and Celestine on the field at the same time and someone is bound to be open.

CU figrues to have more speed and athleticism at the position than it has had since the 203 season when Derek McCoy, D.J. Hackett and Jeremy Bloom were in the huddle.

What Kiesau is going to want to know when spring ball concludes on April 19 is which six or seven guys figure to be his best when fall camp begins and when the season starts against Colorado State in Denver on Aug.30. The six guys we've already mentioned are a pretty safe bet.

There are a handful of others have a chance to lock on to the seventh spot and maybe push for a little playing time. And if misfortune strikes in the way of injuries, they move into the mix in a big way.

Steve Melton, who joined the program last year after transferring from UCLA via Saddleback College, has a year under his belt at CU and that should help him. Cameron Ham, a walk-on, from Haxtun, Co., suffered a broken leg early in fall camp last year but is getting back to full speed. He joined the program as an invited walk-on in 2006.

Kyle Black has moved to receiver after playing defensive back at Air Force and as a walk-on at CU last year. Jason Espinoza, another walk-on defensive back from 2007 also moved to the offensive side at receiver.

After spring ball, those four will have to fight off Chance Blackmon, a speedy recruit from Tatum, Texas, who will join the program this summer.