When Idaho receiver Dezmon Epps was dismissed from the Idaho football team over the summer for violating team rules, he left a major void at the wide receiver.
Epps led Idaho in receptions last season with 79 catches for 980 yards. His skills earned him a Biletnikoff Award watch list nomination midseason.
With Najee Lovett out of eligibility, Idaho starts the season without its two top players from last year. Lovett added 36 receptions and 429 yards of his own last year.
New wide receivers coach, Charley Molnar definitely has his hands full trying to find a replacement, or several, for Epps and Lovett. Coach Paul Petrino and Molnar need returning starter Deon Watson and crew to step up and make major strides this season.
Watson, a sophomore, performed well as a freshman last season and is a big target at 6-foot-4-inches. He also brings consistency in his route running and has a knack for hauling in passes if they are within his reach. Still, despite starting 10 games, he only had 24 receptions for 279 yards and one touchdown in 2013.
“Deon is deceptively fast,” Molnar said. “What Deon’s strengths are is he’s tremendously smart, he’s a precision route runner, he’s got awesome hands and plays with great energy.”
Watson should still be a star, but he can’t do things alone. Another player who more resembles the speed of Epps is converted quarterback, Josh McCain. McCain took over starting quarterback duties in 2013 when Chad Chalich went down with an injury before suffering an injury of his own. Now, he’s expected to land a spot as a starting wide receiver.
McCain had eight receptions for 126 yards and two touchdowns during Idaho’s two fall scrimmages. His reaching touchdown catch from quarterback Matt Linehan in the first scrimmage was one of the highlight plays of the day.
Another converted player has the potential to be a breakout player this year as well. Last year, sophomore Richard Montgomery primarily played running back. This year, he will also be catching more passes in the open field. Montgomery’s speed and shiftiness make for big play potential.
Idaho needs McCain and Montgomery to live up to expectations to be successful in the passing game. Other receivers like Buck Cowan, Jacob Sannon and Rueben Mwehla also need to step up to add depth.
On the tight end front, Justin Podrabsky and Jared Klingenberg provide leadership as upper classmen and are potential red zone threats.
The potential is there. Now Idaho’s receivers just need to step up and take the opportunities given to them in 2014 for Idaho’s offense to succeed.
Stephan Wiebe can be reached at [email protected]