Volunteer State News

It doesn't take more than a cursory glance at the wide receiver group during spring football at Middle Tennessee to quickly figure out the challenges that group is facing this offseason.
 
Last year's No. 89, Yusuf Ali? One of the room's best blockers and best slot threats? Played his final snap as a college football player. No. 2 Izaiah Gathings? The huge target working inside, finding plenty of space as a possession receiver? Same thing. No. 83 Jaylin Lane? The All-C-USA receiver and returner? Well, he's still playing college football, but for the Virginia Tech Hokies, not the Blue Raiders.
 
Count up those three starters, plus an assortment of other Blue Raiders moving on, and offensive coordinator Mitch Stewart says the receiving room has lost about 82 percent of their production from a season ago.
 
"There's two ways you look at that when that happens," Stewart said. "You can either look at it as 'woe is me,' which isn't going to do anybody any good. Or you look at it as 'Man, what a great opportunity.'"
 
The faces, the numbers catching passes on the practice field outside Floyd Stadium are familiar to MTSU fans. They've heard Elijah Metcalf's name called over the Floyd Stadium loudspeaker, they've seen Jeremy Tate Jr. secure a touchdown in the Sun Bowl in El Paso, Texas. They certainly know DJ England-Chisolm, he of "He's got Chisholm out there, CAUGHT! HE IS GONE! HE IS GONE" fame. No. 3 for MTSU is the unit's only returning starter, after all.
 
But for so many of those names, the turnover has given the room plenty of opportunity to impress the coaching staff early in the spring.
 
"It's been a blessing," Metcalf said. "I'm just glad those guys are stepping up in this room. We've got a lot to prove this year, so I'm expecting those guys to come in and make some plays."
 
Mitch Stewart intentionally didn't call his two sets of four wideouts in his offense first team or second team last season. Often, the four that started one drive would be mixed up with guys that were on the bench for the next one as the game progressed, after all. That's helped keep some folks comfortable in the second year in the Air Raid system, as Bryce Bailey noted.
 
"The guys that came back, we already know what to do, we know what the standard is, so it's simple for us to go out there and do our job," Bailey said. "It's gotten a lot simpler from the first season. You go off of reps, and everything we do, we do it fast and we do it simple."
 
Helping keep the game simple is Stewart himself, who takes on a new position group, inside receivers, this season in a staff responsibility reshuffling on the offensive side of the ball. Rick Mallory, who coached the closest position group to inside receivers last year (tight ends and H-backs), moves back to offensive line alongside Mike Polly, while Shane Tucker deals exclusively with outside receivers.
 
The goal, Head Coach Rick Stockstill said? More eyes on their guys across all levels of the offense.
 
"Last year was the first year I went with one set of eyes in the offensive line," Stockstill said. "And when you're a tempo team, I think it's hard for one person to see five guys. Plus having Mitch there, that helps Shane (Tucker), now he's got two guys he's worried about as opposed to four guys.
 
"I've been very pleased after five days. Things aren't going unnoticed. Not that they went unnoticed last year, but it's so much easier to correct somebody on the field as opposed to waiting until we get off the field."
 
Those extra eyes are a big help in the receiver room specifically, given how many of the players are getting trained in both outside and inside receiving responsibilities, either through switching where they line up this spring from last year (as England-Chisolm has moving inside from outside) or getting more reps where they have the least, as Metcalf has done at outside receiver this spring.
 
"It's been a great opportunity to work both, just in case anything happens, the whole team can move around," Metcalf said.
 
The Charlotte, N.C. native was also enjoying soaking up knowledge from Stewart now that he's more directly involved with the wideouts, particularly on the inside route concepts that are key in creating and finding space in the Air Raid.
 
"It's perfect, especially because he's the OC," Metcalf said. "He can tell you directly what he wants from you, how he wants it."
 
It will take plenty of time to figure out who stands out among the pack, of course. Newcomers like Holden Willis, who's wearing Lane's old number 83 after transferring from South Florida this winter, will look to impress.
 
But early on? One guy has clearly impressed the head coach.
 
"I've been very, very impressed so far with Shermanator, Javonte Sherman," Stockstill said. "He's made some really good catches, some competitive catches, has a done a really nice job so far through five days." 

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