BOONE, N.C. — Appalachian State will be breaking in a new quarterback next season, but he'll have experienced and talented targets at wide receiver.
Moving forward through the spring without record-setting QB
Taylor Lamb and all-conference receiver
Ike Lewis, the Mountaineers have three players who started at least one game at receiver last year as freshmen and two redshirted sophomores with FBS success to their credit.
Thomas Hennigan,
Jalen Virgil,
Malik Williams,
Darrynton Evans and
Corey Sutton are among the headliners with valuable reps at the receiver position. And they'll all be sophomores eligibility-wise.
"It's been a fun spring," wide receivers coach
Justin Watts said. "You feel like you have a lot of guys returning because you played so many young guys last year. It's been a competitive spring."
Similar to Lewis, Hennigan started all 12 regular season games last season, but he did so as a college newcomer.
Hennigan ranked second on the team with 45 catches for 585 yards and seven touchdowns — or one fewer than the eight touchdowns from TCU's Jalen Reagor, who was first nationally among true freshman receivers. Hennigan closed the regular season with a four-touchdown game against Louisiana.
Lewis moved inside after making his first six starts at another outside spot, as Williams started his first four games as a true freshman in the slot, and Virgil made the first start of his redshirt freshman season a week after recording five catches for 186 yards with two touchdowns against Coastal Carolina.
Evans was a candidate to start in the slot last season, but injuries sidelined him for the entire year. He played 12 games as a true freshman in 2016, contributing primarily as a reserve running back and as a kick returner who scored on a 94-yard return in App State's first bowl win against Toledo. He could continue to contribute at those spots again in 2018, especially if the Mountaineers become short-handed at running back.
The 6-foot-3, 200-pound Sutton practiced last season and redshirted following his transfer from Kansas State, where he played in 10 games as a true freshman. A highly ranked recruit out of Mallard Creek High School near Charlotte, Sutton returned to North Carolina to play in the same college town where his father, Clarence, was a mid-1990s teammate of current head coach
Scott Satterfield, offensive assistant
Shawn Clark and defensive assistant
Mark Ivey.
"The biggest thing with both of them, they're just good football players," Watts said.
"Corey is an excellent route runner, but he understands football and understands what we're trying to do and what Coach Satterfield is trying to do with the play call. Darrynton is one of the smartest guys I've ever been around, being able to bounce back and forth between positions. Whether it's route running or blocking schemes, he picks it up. Those guys are good football players and are explosive and can run."
The spring roster also includes veterans such as
Brad Absher and
Mock Adams, who was limited to two games in 2017 because of injuries.
Jake Henry is a freshman who redshirted in 2017, and the list of early enrollees for 2018 includes
Richard Tucker, who arrived from Campobello, S.C.
The mix of skill and experience at receiver should help the new starting quarterback in charge of directing App State's offense.
