Competition At Buffs WR Spots Continues To Be Fierce
August 14, 2017 | Football, Neill Woelk
BOULDER — Heading into Colorado's fall camp, the overwhelming consensus was that wide receiver would be one of the most competitive position battles of the preseason.
As the Buffs rapidly approach the halfway mark of camp, nothing has happened to dispel that theory. As head coach Mike MacIntyre recently said, " "We have so many good (receivers), it's day to day who's best."
Indeed, at least a half-dozen wideouts have had noteworthy days in CU's first 13 practices. The list includes the likely suspects — returning starters Shay Fields, Devin Ross, Bryce Bobo and Jay MacIntyre — as well as those expected to battle for playing time, including Juwann Winfree and Kabion Ento. But the list has grown larger over the last week, as Lee Walker has been elbowing his way into the mix, and true freshmen K.D. Nixon and Laviska Shenault Jr. are making their presence known on a regular basis.
"They're all playing well," wide receivers coach and offensive co-coordinator Darrin Chiaverini said after Saturday's scrimmage. "When the guys get opportunities to make a play, they're making plays. I'm excited about the whole group. When guys are getting chances to get their hands on the ball, they've been making plays. As a coach, that's what you want."
But while the competition has been fierce, there's still no reason to think any of the starters have lost ground. All four receivers who caught at least 30 passes last year haven't skipped a beat thus far.
"Shay's been having a great camp," Chiaverini said. "Devin's had an excellent camp, Jay's had a good camp. Bobo's having a good camp, making plays every time he has the opportunity."
But Chiaverini has also seen consistent production from a number of the others.
"Kabion's having a good camp," he said. "Juwann's getting better — he's a little rusty coming off the injury, but he works hard and he's getting his timing back. I've been excited about what Lee Walker is doing. He's a better football player this year and he's more confident. K.D. Nixon and Laviska Shenault, they can hang with the veteran guys. They go out there and they make plays."
Of course, at some point Chiaverini and fellow co-coordinator Brian Lindgren are going to begin fine-tuning a game plan for the Sept. 1 season opener against Colorado State. That means they will also narrow down the depth chart and figure out who is going to be on the field.
"Honestly, I think we're going to play more guys this year," Chiaverini said. "Last year we didn't have the luxury of playing as many guys. This year, we have more players that can play football. It's going to push those veteran guys to not only make plays, but also to know if they get tired, we have guys that can go in there and play."
While there is plenty to be said for continuity and a "connection" between a wide receiver group and the quarterback, there are also benefits to having quality depth at the spot. One benefit is being able to simply wear down opposing defensive backs by sending in fresh receivers in on a regular basis.
"If you can run playmakers at a DB all day and keep them fresh — and if you're sending quality guys out there who are consistent and doing the right thing — you can wear a guy out," Chiaverini said. "We know if our guys get tired, we're going to have guys right behind them who can go out and play."
Meanwhile, every receiver in camp knows there is no opportunity that can be wasted.
"Every single day you have to compete," Bobo said. "If you don't, there's a risk of losing your position. Obviously, this is by far the best receiving corps we've had since I've been at Colorado, and it makes everyone better. We have leaders up front pushing the guys, we've got young guys pushing — it's competitive every day. It makes us all better."
Contact: Neill.Woelk@Colorado.edu
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