Wisconsin wide receivers not named Alex Erickson combined for 39 catches and 427 yards in 2014. Wisconsin receivers named Alex Erickson compiled 55 catches for 772 yards. When Joel Stave and Tanner McEvoy dropped back to pass, they didn’t have a whole lot of consistent options on the outside to throw to.
Stave will enter the summer as the starter, and if he holds on to that spot into the regular season, he’s going to need some help. Obviously, the offense will continue to flow through the running backs, but the Badgers will have to throw at some point, and the redshirt senior has yet to show he can move the needle.
Head coach Paul Chryst knows he needs his receivers to help his quarterback for the offense to be successful. They need to get separation and make plays for the passer.
“If we’re going to be any good, we need to get some production out of the position,” Chryst said. “I think there are guys who have shown the ability to be significant contributors, but as a group, there are still some question marks.”
Junior Robert Wheelwright is one receiver who is showing he can be a significant contributor. He separated himself from the pack at the spring game with seven catches for 79 yards and two touchdowns, making his presence known early with a 17-yard score from Stave on the opening drive.
“He’s got all of the ability to be that big player,” Stave said of Wheelwright. “It’s just a matter of working with him and making sure he’s understanding everything I’m seeing on the field and that we’re on the same page.”
Wheelwright isn’t the biggest receiver listed on the roster, at 6-foot-2, 201 pounds, but he has a wide frame he can continue to strengthen, and he knows how to use it to take advantage of smaller defensive backs. This is how he created separation on both of his touchdown catches.
“I showed that I can make plays and be that deep threat guy,” said Wheelwright. “I just have to continue to stay focused and consistent and just do what the coaches ask me.”
Staying consistently on the field was an issue for Wheelwright in 2014, as he battled a hamstring injury that limited his development. Now he’s fully healthy and focusing on building off this performance and maintaining his body over the summer.
“Hopefully Rob can take this and gain some confidence from it,” Chryst said. “A perfect example of a guy who wants to but needs to have a great summer.”
Injuries seem to be the story of this Wisconsin receiving corps.
“I thought that Reggie Love was making progress towards the end of spring practice, and he wasn’t able to go [in the game],” Chryst said.
Love, a redshirt junior, didn’t get a chance to showcase his development in front of the crowd of nearly 10,000 at the game. He is the bulkiest wide receiver on the roster, and like Wheelwright, he is learning how to use that advantage.
Redshirt sophomore Jazz Peavy is another budding receiver. Peavy didn’t put on much of a show at the game, but all spring, he has run great routes and quietly been a consistent target for the quarterbacks. He isn’t the biggest or the fastest receiver, but he has great hands and gets himself open with solid technique.
This wide receiver group brings a lot of things to the table. Guys like Wheelwright, Love and Jordan Fredrick use their size well to get themselves in between the defender and the ball. Peavy and Erickson are deceptively quick and use their route running and technique to get open. Krenwick Sanders and George Rushing bring a unique size and speed combination to this group, although they lack a true burner.
“The biggest strength is our routes,” Wheelwright said. “I just feel like we’re just really good at running routes and getting in and out of our breaks. Our coaches do a really great job at that. We all have work to do, but we’ll be good though.”
The rotation behind Erickson is far from set. There are a number of guys who are showing potential, but they need to continue to work on their game to give the Wisconsin offense some consistent threats on the outside. If they can’t, Chryst might need to check a phone book to find other people named Alex Erickson in the area so he can give his quarterback some familiar targets to throw to.
