STARKVILLE — Opportunities.
That’s what the Mississippi State football wide receivers are getting this spring with Fred Ross and Donald Gray sidelined with injury. Both will be ready for fall camp, but veterans and young players are getting more repetitions to give them a chance to prove to the coaches they can help make up for the loss of De’Runnya Wilson to the NFL draft.
The wide receivers will get another chance at 11 a.m. Saturday in an open scrimmage at Davis Wade Stadium.
“It opens up for a lot of young guys this spring just to get better and just reach their potential since they haven’t played a lot of ball,” MSU rising senior Fred Brown said. “Just getting those reps, getting better each and every day, know what to do, know how to do and when to do it.”
Ross, who broke the single-season record with 88 receptions and had a team-high 1,007 yards last season, is out with a groin injury that caused him to have surgery March 9.
Gray said Thursday he hyperextended his right leg last week and will be out for the remainder of the spring. He had 21 catches for 386 yards and two touchdowns after transferring from Copiah-Lincoln Community College. Gray said his injury is unfortunate, but he said the younger guys needed to get more reps one way or the other.
“It’s a chance for them to kind of understand the game, get a better look on it, and kind of grow up a little bit,” Gray said. “It puts them in a position where they have to do nothing but grow up. I’m all for it.”
MSU will have to replace Wilson and Joe Morrow, but it returns lettermen Brown, Ross, Gray, Malik Dear, Jesse Jackson, and Gabe Myles at wide receiver. Redshirt freshmen Keith Mixon, Jonnas Spivey, and Deddrick Thomas also are getting plenty of reps in spring practice.
Gray and Brown agree it’s hard to say who has stood out, but all three have been impressive.
“They are all making strides,” Gray said. “Everybody’s making strides. We’re kind of trying to get it to where it’s consistent and not trying to have every other day be good days.”
MSU signed wide receiver John Michael-Hankerson in February, but he won’t be on campus until the summer.
Brown (27 catches, 412 yards, three touchdowns) and Ross will try to help MSU overcome the loss of Wilson. The 6-foot-1, 196-pound Jim Hill High School product is trying to build off his efforts last season.
“I’m coming out each and every day just trying to get better, reach my potential every day and be an all around player this year,” Ross said.
Without Ross and Gray, Brown has had to elevate his game. Gray called Brown “the heart and soul of the team” because he is very talkative and is one of the best communicators in the position group.
Myles, a rising junior, is trying to take his game to another level. The former Starkville High School standout, who led the Yellow Jackets to the 2012 Mississippi High School Activities Association Class 5A state championship, began his career at MSU as a defensive back. He moved to wide receiver after his redshirt season and has been a contributor in the passing and rushing game.
With two receivers out, Myles’ reps are going up.
“Gabe has improved quite a bit with route running and getting used to playing receiver,” Brown said. “He’s coming along great. He’s running good routes each and every day.”
The wide receivers also are adjusting to a new quarterback. Dak Prescott, who broke 38 school records, has graduated and is getting ready for the NFL. Redshirt junior Damian Williams, rising sophomores Nick Fitzgerald and Elijah Staley, and redshirt freshman Nick Tiano are competing for the starting job.
Brown said it has been a challenge for the quarterbacks, but he said everyone is working hard to make the most of the opportunities available to them.
“Whenever my number’s called, I just want to make that big play — just replace those big plays we had last year,” Brown said.
Follow Dispatch sports writer Ben Wait on Twitter @bcwait
Ben Wait reports on Mississippi State University sports for The Dispatch.
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