UNI receivers have a long road

CEDAR FALLS - Headed into a new football season, the loss of David Johnson has naturally led many to wonder who Northern Iowa will find or how they will employ a group of running backs to replace that all-time production.

Sawyer Kollmorgen's status, and the addition of JUCO quarterback Dalton Demos has piqued interest as well for the most scrutinized position on the field.

But the position that took the biggest overall hit was likely at wide receiver. Kevin Vereen Jr., Chad Owens and Brett LeMaster (add Johnson in there too, with 536 receiving yards last season) are all gone to graduation. Those four were the leading four receivers for the 2014 Panthers and represented 68 percent of the total receiving yards all season.

So with Charles Brown (19 catches for 315 yards in 2014) and Daurice Fountain (10 catches for 117 yards) the top returners and a new position coach in Jason Ray, the receiver group has a long way to go to be where Coach Mark Farley wants them to be.

'They're last among all the groups. They're the group that's come the furthest and has the furthest to go,” Farley said. 'That's not a negative, it's a fact. That's the group we have to bring up to speed so we can make sure we can do the other things within the offense.”

The litany of running backs was illustrated already this spring by former Iowa Hawkeye Barkley Hill's move from the backfield to linebacker, but he's far from the only one to be trying out a new position.

Running backs J'Veyon Browning, Waukon grad Marcus Weymiller and Ricky Neal have all practiced multiple days at receiver - including still on Monday. Defensive backs Jamison Whiting and Willie Beamon have also practiced at receiver. Farley emphasized those position shifts are far from set in stone, save for former running back Rashadeem Gray, who has made the move permanently and is listed as a receiver on the Panthers' roster.

At this point, with so much ground to cover at receiver in a new offense, it's still about trial and error. Farley said he's really liked what he's seen out of Fountain and Brown so far - though Brown is out until fall camp with a broken bone in his wrist - and feels they've stepped up and resolidified their status as the top two receivers. Now, he said, 'It's really the third, fourth and fifth receivers we're looking for.”

'There's been an emphasis on putting players in those positions to see if they can do it, and if they can't we'll move them back to their other position,” Farley said. 'We've moved defensive backs to receiver, we've moved running backs to receiver and we'll keep doing that until we find the right combination.”

Not only is there a lot of production to replace on offense, but three of the four new coaches on staff are on the offensive side. Wide receivers coach Jason Ray is one, coming to Cedar Falls from Oklahoma State, where he held the same position.

Replacing a ton of talent while also acclimating himself into a new workplace and a new philosophy always leaves the chance of compounding the level of difficulty for Ray. But having eager young players tempered that as much as can be expected.

'Really, when you have guys who are willing to embrace change and guys who want to do well, it becomes an easy transition,” Ray said. 'For myself coming in and learning Coach (Joe) Davis' system and getting accustomed to the guys I have, that falls into the category of what's on your job description as a coach. It hasn't been too difficult in that way. I think these guys want to be good, and that helps a lot.”

Farley has been impressed with Ray's work so far with the receivers, and has been happy with his work day-to-day. Ray echoed Farley, too, in what he's seen in his month-plus on the job.

'We have a lot of work to do,” Ray said. 'Me getting to know them now, it's been a little over a month, and I've found they're a talented group and do a lot of things well, but it's a transition into a new system. They're willing to learn and work hard.”

Working hard and wanting to be better are key attitude components, to be sure. But Farley was frank in his assessment of where the receivers group is now and where they need to be.

For the short term, he still wants to see improvement in the basics of what a receiver does - especially given four running backs are practicing with the group. For the long term, there's another piece to be found and a lot more work left to do from the guys who already know they'll be catching passes in the fall.

'We have (Monday) and Wednesday left (for practices), and I want to see more improvement in just the basic fundamentals in route-running and blocking. We need to continue to work on that,” Farley said. 'This summer we need to probably find another receiver to add to that mix. The ones we do have need to go out and work all summer long on the skills they've been developing during the spring.

'They have to take what we did here and have to magnify that approach this summer so they're ready for this fall. They're not even close to ready right now.”

l Comments: (319) 368-8884; jeremiah.davis@thegazette.com