Position preview: Wide receivers

[aubiefifty 18,248]

Auburn 2022 fall camp position preview: Wide receivers

By Tom Green | tgreen@al.com

7-9 minutes

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This is the third in an 11-part series examining each position group ahead of the start of Auburn’s fall camp on Aug. 5. The third installment looks at Auburn’s wide receivers.

Auburn’s receiving corps is rebuilding as it enters the second year of Bryan Harsin’s tenure as head coach.

The group lost two of its top-three receivers from last season—leading receiver Kobe Hudson, who was dismissed before transferring to UCF after the season, and transfer Demetris Robertson, who graduated after his one season on the Plains. It’ll be a new look for the position, which has just one seemingly entrenched starter with ample experience (super senior Shedrick Jackson) and features a new coach in Ike Hilliard — a longtime NFL assistant whose impact has been felt since his arrival in the spring — as well as five new additions since the end of last season (three freshmen and a pair of transfers).

Read more Auburn football: Breaking down Auburn’s quarterbacks ahead of fall camp

Breaking down Auburn’s running backs ahead of fall camp

Now at Auburn, Zach Calzada earned lasting respect at Texas A&M for his toughness

“I think we got playmakers,” Harsin said. “I think we got to get them in the right spots. Just watching, they can run, catch, do all that…. I do think we have them, but we got to go prove it. We got to go do it in fall camp. We got to go prove it during the season, that we can get open, and we got to get it to them.”

Departed: Demetris Robertson (graduated), Kobe Hudson (transfer), Caylin Newton (transfer).

Returning starters: Shedrick Jackson (40 receptions, 527 yards, one touchdown).

Other returning players: Ja’Varrius Johnson (19 receptions, 274 yards, two touchdowns), Malcolm Johnson Jr. (six receptions for 82 yards and a touchdown), Landen King (five receptions for 59 yards and a touchdown), Ze’Vian Capers (six receptions for 54 yards), Tar’Varish Dawson Jr. (redshirted last season), Jay Fair (freshman early enrollee), J.J. Evans (did not see the field last season)

Summer arrivals: Dazalin Worsham, Miami transfer; Koy Moore, LSU transfer; Omari Kelly, four-star freshman; Camden Brown, three-star freshman.

Outlook: Auburn’s wide receiver corps will be one of the more intriguing groups to watch in fall camp, given what the Tigers lost from last year’s roster, what they bring back and what they’ve added to the room.

Shedrick Jackson may be the most proven of the bunch, given his years of experience and that he’s the team’s leading returning receiver, but last year was his first truly impactful season on the Plains. The Tigers also bring back Ja’Varrius Johnson, who started a handful of games last season but has seen his first few years hampered by injuries, as well as Malcolm Johnson Jr., who also earned a handful of starts in 2021 and has shown glimpses of being a downfield playmaker but just doesn’t have a lot of in-game experience.

Auburn also returns a handful of other players from last season, including Tar’Varish Dawson Jr., who earned a starting job in fall camp a year ago but never saw the field after a preseason setback. He has been a different player this offseason, according to Harsin, and could carve out a role in the passing game this fall if he continues his upward trajectory. Ze’Vian Capers is another returning option who has progressed and could emerge as that bigger, longer target Auburn has lacked in the passing game. Then there’s Landen King, the hybrid tight end/receiver who has made waves since switching up his role this offseason. The 6-foot-5 sophomore has shown he’s capable of being a big-bodied threat downfield, and it’ll be interesting to see how his role evolves in the offense and just how much time he spends out wide compared to at tight end.

As for the Tigers’ newcomers, don’t be surprised if many of them work their way onto the field early on, with LSU transfer Koy Moore the likely breakout candidate among the group, through the early returns on freshmen Jay Fair (an early enrollee) and Omari Kelly and Camden Brown have been promising.

“Those young guys, now, they came in and they weren’t just messing around,” Harsin said. “They came in to really learn what we were doing and try to put themselves on the field.”

It’ll be on Harsin, Hilliard and new offensive coordinator Eric Kiesau to determine just how things shape up at the position, but Auburn is optimistic that its makeover in the receiver room—from personnel to the addition of Hilliard as coach—will pay dividends this fall. It’ll have to, especially with Auburn breaking in a new starting quarterback.

“The attitude of that room probably is what’s brought out the best in some of those guys that we didn’t see before, and I think Ike’s a big reason for that,” Harsin said. “I think those new guys coming in is a big reason for that, because depth — we didn’t have any, and so at some point, receivers run more than anybody on the field, and at some point you’re like, ‘I’m going to go as hard as I need to today, because there isn’t anybody else.’ You got to kind of play that game a little bit. When you got more depth, you get more competition, and you get better results out of your guys. I think they appreciate the guys we have in that room.”

Battle to watch: Auburn’s wide receiver corps, without much proven experience beyond super senior Shedrick Jackson, could be the most up-for-grabs position group this fall for the Tigers, with Bryan Harsin saying at SEC Media Days last week that each receiver spot is “wide open” heading into fall camp. One to keep a particularly close watch on is the Z position, where Malcolm Johnson Jr. started a handful of games last season but you could see hybrid receiver/tight end Landen King—at 6-foot-5 and 220 pounds—really push for the job as a big-bodied threat in the passing game.

Keep an eye on: LSU transfer Koy Moore, whose name has been a prominent one this summer since his arrival on the Plains. Moore saw the field immediately as a freshman at LSU in 2020, when opt-outs forced him into a bigger role than anticipated, but his production and playing time diminished last season before he entered the transfer portal back in October in the wake of the program’s decision to part ways with Ed Orgeron at season’s end. Moore, a 6-foot-1, 192-pound former four-star prospect has impressed teammates and coaches with his work ethic and early signs of leadership—as well as his big-play ability, with Harsin noting that on his first day of summer workouts, he snagged an inside slant and turned it into a long touchdown. That type of playmaking was lacking from Auburn’s receivers last season, and Moore is a prime candidate to help revitalize the unit.

Projected two-deep:

Wide receiver/X:

Shedrick Jackson, super senior (6-foot-2, 202 pounds)

Ze’Vian Capers, junior (6-foot-4, 192 pounds)

Wide receiver/H:

Koy Moore, redshirt sophomore (6-foot-1, 192 pounds) OR

Ja’Varrius Johnson, redshirt junior (5-foot-10, 160 pounds)

Tar’Varish Dawson Jr., redshirt freshman (5-foot-10, 161 pounds)

Wide receiver/Z:

Malcolm Johnson Jr., junior (6-foot-1, 195 pounds)

Landen King, sophomore (6-foot-5, 220 pounds)

Up next: Tight ends.

Tom Green is an Auburn beat reporter for Alabama Media Group. Follow him on Twitter @Tomas_Verde.

Note to readers: if you purchase something through one of our affiliate links we may earn a commission.

[Hank2020 3,357]

19 minutes ago, aubiefifty said:

Auburn 2022 fall camp position preview: Wide receivers

By Tom Green | tgreen@al.com

7-9 minutes

---

This is the third in an 11-part series examining each position group ahead of the start of Auburn’s fall camp on Aug. 5. The third installment looks at Auburn’s wide receivers.

Auburn’s receiving corps is rebuilding as it enters the second year of Bryan Harsin’s tenure as head coach.

The group lost two of its top-three receivers from last season—leading receiver Kobe Hudson, who was dismissed before transferring to UCF after the season, and transfer Demetris Robertson, who graduated after his one season on the Plains. It’ll be a new look for the position, which has just one seemingly entrenched starter with ample experience (super senior Shedrick Jackson) and features a new coach in Ike Hilliard — a longtime NFL assistant whose impact has been felt since his arrival in the spring — as well as five new additions since the end of last season (three freshmen and a pair of transfers).

Read more Auburn football: Breaking down Auburn’s quarterbacks ahead of fall camp

Breaking down Auburn’s running backs ahead of fall camp

Now at Auburn, Zach Calzada earned lasting respect at Texas A&M for his toughness

“I think we got playmakers,” Harsin said. “I think we got to get them in the right spots. Just watching, they can run, catch, do all that…. I do think we have them, but we got to go prove it. We got to go do it in fall camp. We got to go prove it during the season, that we can get open, and we got to get it to them.”

Departed: Demetris Robertson (graduated), Kobe Hudson (transfer), Caylin Newton (transfer).

Returning starters: Shedrick Jackson (40 receptions, 527 yards, one touchdown).

Other returning players: Ja’Varrius Johnson (19 receptions, 274 yards, two touchdowns), Malcolm Johnson Jr. (six receptions for 82 yards and a touchdown), Landen King (five receptions for 59 yards and a touchdown), Ze’Vian Capers (six receptions for 54 yards), Tar’Varish Dawson Jr. (redshirted last season), Jay Fair (freshman early enrollee), J.J. Evans (did not see the field last season)

Summer arrivals: Dazalin Worsham, Miami transfer; Koy Moore, LSU transfer; Omari Kelly, four-star freshman; Camden Brown, three-star freshman.

Outlook: Auburn’s wide receiver corps will be one of the more intriguing groups to watch in fall camp, given what the Tigers lost from last year’s roster, what they bring back and what they’ve added to the room.

Shedrick Jackson may be the most proven of the bunch, given his years of experience and that he’s the team’s leading returning receiver, but last year was his first truly impactful season on the Plains. The Tigers also bring back Ja’Varrius Johnson, who started a handful of games last season but has seen his first few years hampered by injuries, as well as Malcolm Johnson Jr., who also earned a handful of starts in 2021 and has shown glimpses of being a downfield playmaker but just doesn’t have a lot of in-game experience.

Auburn also returns a handful of other players from last season, including Tar’Varish Dawson Jr., who earned a starting job in fall camp a year ago but never saw the field after a preseason setback. He has been a different player this offseason, according to Harsin, and could carve out a role in the passing game this fall if he continues his upward trajectory. Ze’Vian Capers is another returning option who has progressed and could emerge as that bigger, longer target Auburn has lacked in the passing game. Then there’s Landen King, the hybrid tight end/receiver who has made waves since switching up his role this offseason. The 6-foot-5 sophomore has shown he’s capable of being a big-bodied threat downfield, and it’ll be interesting to see how his role evolves in the offense and just how much time he spends out wide compared to at tight end.

As for the Tigers’ newcomers, don’t be surprised if many of them work their way onto the field early on, with LSU transfer Koy Moore the likely breakout candidate among the group, through the early returns on freshmen Jay Fair (an early enrollee) and Omari Kelly and Camden Brown have been promising.

“Those young guys, now, they came in and they weren’t just messing around,” Harsin said. “They came in to really learn what we were doing and try to put themselves on the field.”

It’ll be on Harsin, Hilliard and new offensive coordinator Eric Kiesau to determine just how things shape up at the position, but Auburn is optimistic that its makeover in the receiver room—from personnel to the addition of Hilliard as coach—will pay dividends this fall. It’ll have to, especially with Auburn breaking in a new starting quarterback.

“The attitude of that room probably is what’s brought out the best in some of those guys that we didn’t see before, and I think Ike’s a big reason for that,” Harsin said. “I think those new guys coming in is a big reason for that, because depth — we didn’t have any, and so at some point, receivers run more than anybody on the field, and at some point you’re like, ‘I’m going to go as hard as I need to today, because there isn’t anybody else.’ You got to kind of play that game a little bit. When you got more depth, you get more competition, and you get better results out of your guys. I think they appreciate the guys we have in that room.”

Battle to watch: Auburn’s wide receiver corps, without much proven experience beyond super senior Shedrick Jackson, could be the most up-for-grabs position group this fall for the Tigers, with Bryan Harsin saying at SEC Media Days last week that each receiver spot is “wide open” heading into fall camp. One to keep a particularly close watch on is the Z position, where Malcolm Johnson Jr. started a handful of games last season but you could see hybrid receiver/tight end Landen King—at 6-foot-5 and 220 pounds—really push for the job as a big-bodied threat in the passing game.

Keep an eye on: LSU transfer Koy Moore, whose name has been a prominent one this summer since his arrival on the Plains. Moore saw the field immediately as a freshman at LSU in 2020, when opt-outs forced him into a bigger role than anticipated, but his production and playing time diminished last season before he entered the transfer portal back in October in the wake of the program’s decision to part ways with Ed Orgeron at season’s end. Moore, a 6-foot-1, 192-pound former four-star prospect has impressed teammates and coaches with his work ethic and early signs of leadership—as well as his big-play ability, with Harsin noting that on his first day of summer workouts, he snagged an inside slant and turned it into a long touchdown. That type of playmaking was lacking from Auburn’s receivers last season, and Moore is a prime candidate to help revitalize the unit.

Projected two-deep:

Wide receiver/X:

Shedrick Jackson, super senior (6-foot-2, 202 pounds)

Ze’Vian Capers, junior (6-foot-4, 192 pounds)

Wide receiver/H:

Koy Moore, redshirt sophomore (6-foot-1, 192 pounds) OR

Ja’Varrius Johnson, redshirt junior (5-foot-10, 160 pounds)

Tar’Varish Dawson Jr., redshirt freshman (5-foot-10, 161 pounds)

Wide receiver/Z:

Malcolm Johnson Jr., junior (6-foot-1, 195 pounds)

Landen King, sophomore (6-foot-5, 220 pounds)

Up next: Tight ends.

Tom Green is an Auburn beat reporter for Alabama Media Group. Follow him on Twitter @Tomas_Verde.

Note to readers: if you purchase something through one of our affiliate links we may earn a commission.

I realize we haven’t even reached fall camp yet, but certainly seem poised to make difference with this position group. Extremely excited to see the impacts.

[aubiefifty 18,248]

2 minutes ago, Hank2020 said:

I realize we haven’t even reached fall camp yet, but certainly seem poised to make difference with this position group. Extremely excited to see the impacts.

we have players on award watch lists too! i brahmns made one and some fans have been just killing him in here over the years. lets hope he has stepped up!

[oracle79 3,569]

6 hours ago, aubiefifty said:

depth — we didn’t have any, and so at some point, receivers run more than anybody on the field, and at some point you’re like, ‘I’m going to go as hard as I need to today, because there isn’t anybody else.’ You got to kind of play that game a little bit. When you got more depth, you get more competition, and you get better results out of your guys.

Can't be overstated enough. Also, too many FAB routes under he who shall not be named. If we can get every receiver on the field going 100% every play, it will be like increasing the strength of the sun by 1%. The pessimists need to step up their game because I'm getting way too excited about the upcoming season.