Collegiate Times

Image: 2011-04-13 22:49:28

For opposing ACC defenses, it must seem like wide receivers Jarrett Boykin and Danny Coale have donned the maroon and orange for 10 years.

Boykin, a senior, and Coale, a redshirt-senior, return for their final seasons in Blacksburg with very high expectations.

“The sky is the limit,” Boykin said. “Logan (Thomas) has a great arm, and we receivers — we want the ball every play.”

That personal drive to be great will be vital this fall as the Hokies break in a new quarterback after the departure of Tyrod Taylor to the NFL. Hokies wide receivers coach Kevin Sherman said that steps can be made this spring and summer to make the transition easier.

“Getting out there throwing, working every day, little things, working on different types of throws,” Sherman said. “Just working on routes and being consistent each time.”

Coale, who was often Taylor’s safety blanket once he started scrambling, said he and the other receivers are already taking the right steps to communicate with Thomas.

“We’re constantly talking on the sideline after a play,” Coale said. “I’m asking him what he saw, he’s asking me what I saw. We’re sharing information with each other, making sure we’re on the same page.”

Fellow receiver Marcus Davis echoed the thoughts of Coale when talking about his relationship with Thomas.

“In the beginning it was a little off,” Davis said. “Now we know his tendencies and he knows our tendencies. We all bring different things to the table, and I think he’s become a lot more comfortable.”

While the chemistry is certainly a work in progress, the raw physical talent at wide receiver is noticeable. Of the five players who will likely see the majority of the playing time this season, the average height and weight is 6-feet 2-inches and 211 pounds. The Hokies receiving corps will be carried by its physical tools, but that isn’t all there is to it.

“We got some good things on film, but we have some things we have to correct, some little things we have to clean up,” Sherman said following the Hokies first spring scrimmage. “Alignments, splits, footwork, seeing coverage. Just a lot of little things that are coming from the younger guys more so than the veteran guys, but as a group we still have to improve and get better.”

The receivers, categorized as either a split-end or flanker, are extremely top-heavy on the depth chart. The Hokies return 61 combined starts from only four players, 32 of which come from the senior Boykin.

“Right now we got Jarrett and Danny Coale at the top,” Sherman said. “Guys like DJ Coles and Marcus Davis are continuing to improve. I’m not satisfied. I think we can be better, I think there’s a better game out there for us, and it has to start out here everyday in spring practice.”

In 2010, the Hokies had one of their most prolific seasons as far as passing the ball goes. The receivers were a big reason why Taylor, who is now Tech’s all-time leader in career passing yards, set the school record for passing touchdowns in a single season with 24. As playmakers leave the program, new ones are expected to step up.

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A version of this article appeared in the Apr 14 issue of the Collegiate Times.