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When it comes to the presence of quality wide receivers, head coach Bronco Mendenhall doesn't hesitate; he says in 2013, BYU has "the most at any one time."
"When you go back to the Todd Watkins and Austin Collie combination," Mendenhall said on Thursday, "that was pretty powerful, but (there was) not much depth behind them."
"We're deeper than we've ever been with good players."
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Led by All-America candidate Cody Hoffman, BYU's receiving corps includes fellow returning starters JD Falslev and Ross Apo, and former tight end Marcus Mathews, who has a handful of career starts to his credit.
They are joined by new scholarship recipient Skyler Ridley, camp revelation Mitch Mathews, and a pair of players who like Ridley, came to BYU as walk-ons: Kurt Henderson and Eric Thornton, both of whom have seen meaningful reps and made big plays in camp. Freshman speedster Michael Davis and rookie walk-on Colby Pearson round out the group.
Between them are 396 career receptions, with Hoffman (203) accounting for more catches than the rest of the receivers combined.
Wide Receivers on BYU's 2013 Roster, Career Statistics
| Player | Class | GP | Receptions | Yards | Receiving TD |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Cody Hoffman | Senior | 39 | 203 | 2,718 | 28 |
| JD Falslev | Senior | 39 | 68 | 604 | 4 |
| Skyler Ridley | Senior | 13 | 20 | 206 | 1 |
| Ross Apo | Junior | 26 | 65 | 764 | 10 |
| Marcus Mathews | Junior | 24 | 36 | 441 | 1 |
| Mitch Mathews | Sophomore | 6 | 2 | 27 | 0 |
| Kurt Henderson | Sophomore | 2 | 2 | 19 | 0 |
| Eric Thornton | Sophomore | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Michael Davis | Freshman | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Colby Pearson | Freshman | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
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Offensive coordinator Robert Anae concedes that the position group appears strong heading into the season, but cautions that pronouncements of greatness are premature.
"Yeah, we're talented, yes, we're deep," says Anae, "but I do believe those judgements are better served at the end of the year than at the beginning of the year. It doesn't do a coach much good--or a fan base much good--to grant accomplishment at the beginning of a year; I'd much prefer to see the course of the year before that judgement is rendered."
New receivers coach Guy Holliday has yet to establish a clear pecking order among the wideouts; multiple players have had chances to shine during camp.
He says "my depth chart is day-to-day," and that while Cody Hoffman is the player with the deepest résumé, "a player doesn't make a team."
"Cody had an outstanding year last year," Holliday said this week. "We'll see what happens when the season starts. Does he demand double-teams? If he does, that's fantastic; if not, we're going to go through our reads, and if Cody catches 150 balls, I'm happy."
"If Cody catches 15 balls and we win 13 games, we all should be happy."
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Last season, Hoffman recorded 100 of BYU's 296 receptions, or 33.8% of the team total. That number was the highest at BYU since Jay Miller's 42.6% mark in 1973.
In fact, since 1972, only five BYU players have recorded seasons with 30% or more of their team's receptions, with Hoffman and Miller joined by Logan Hunter (36.8% in 1972), Ben Cahoon (31.0% in 1997) and Austin Collie (31.4% in 2008).
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In Anae's new up-tempo attack, the likelihood of Hoffman dominating BYU's stat sheet like he did last season is diminished, because of the number of players needed to run the offense effectively.
"We're making sure everyone gets reps," said Mitch Mathews, "because it's such a high-speed offense, you need people to step up, you need people to rotate in, and you need to feel comfortable with those guys that do come in."
"No matter who starts, we need six guys to be able to ready to play, so you can grab your facemask, and (Holliday) can throw you in the game. He needs to be confident that when you're in the game, you're going to make plays."
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Among the most consistent playmakers and deep-ball targets in camp, the lanky Mathews (6'6") is one of several tall receiving options for BYU's quarterbacks. Hoffman (6'4"), Apo (6'3"), Marcus Mathews (6'4") and Davis (6'2") join Mitch to give BYU the most collective height it has likely ever had at the position.
In the Anae offense, there is also a place for the shorter slot receivers, and both Falslev (5'8") and Thornton (5'9") will have their number called frequently in 2013. Falslev has bounced back from offseason ankle surgery to show well in camp, while Thornton is already gaining a reputation as a sure-handed, sometime acrobatic performer after an impressive opening week.
Mendenhall has heaped praise on Ridley for his August performance, and Henderson has frequently run out with the first-team during camp's first week.
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Reiterating the need for multiple go-to guys, Mitch Mathews said this week that playing time "right now is pretty equal, because we need guys fresh all the time. We can't have guys who overload in a hurry-up offense, because they're going to get hurt, they're going to pull something, so the time is equal to make sure we all know the plays and we're healthy."
"This year, what (coaches) are looking for is about six guys who can play at any time, to rotate in at any time."
BYU appears to have at least a solid six, and maybe more, at a position that is among the Cougars' most promising in 2013.
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