Looking at West Virginia's Receiving Depth

When West Virginia opens the 2010 football season, they will return two of their four starting wide receivers. Senior Jock Sanders and junior Bradley Starks are the Mountaineers' most experienced wide receivers.

After Sanders and Starks, West Virginia is young, and will need a couple players to step up to help sophomore quarterback Eugene Smith develop.

Sanders is entering his third season as one of West Virginia's starting wide receivers. As a junior he led the Mountaineers in receptions (72), yards (688), and touchdowns (three).

Sanders gets most of his catches from the slot position, and is more of a possession receiver, as seen by his 9.6 yards per catch. He is the Mountaineers' featured receiver on bubble screens, where he can get up the field quickly and pick up some quick, short yards.

The biggest void in West Virginia's receiving corps is the lack of a deep threat. The team's second-leading receiver from a year ago, Alric Arnett, graduated, and was the team's main deep threat. He caught 43 passes a year ago, at 13.6 yards a catch, which both were good for second on the team.

Look for Starks to step up to replace Arnett. He led the team in yards per catch (14.0), and will be one of Smith's go to receivers for a big play. This is his third season as a wide receiver after arriving at West Virginia as a quarterback. He is one of the fastest players on the team, and should be able to stretch the field, freeing up the running lanes.

After Sanders and Starks, it will be sophomore Tavon Austin and red-shirt freshman Stedman Bailey as the featured receivers.

Austin had just 15 catches during his freshman season, but is expected to play a more prominent role this season. He played in the slot last year, but the coaches are looking at him playing on the outside. This will be his final year as a wide receiver, as he will be taking over at running back in 2011.

Bailey will likely be the biggest beneficiary of Smith taking over as West Virginia's starting quarterback. Bailey and Smith were teammates at Miramar High School in Florida and both arrived at West Virginia last year. Both know each other very well, so do not be surprised if Smith tends to look his way when the team needs a big play.

One 'X' factor for West Virginia is incoming freshman Ivan McCartney. Like Bailey, McCartney played at Miramar High School with Smith. He is one of the most heralded recruits in West Virginia's history, being a U.S. Army All-American and the cousin of NFL Pro Bowl wide receiver Chad Ochocinco. McCartney should play during his freshman season, but how much will not be determined until he arrives for fall camp.

The most disappointing part of West Virginia's wide receiver corps is the transfers of freshmen Logan Heastie and Deon Long. Both signed with West Virginia out of high school in 2009 and were both highly sought out recruits. Long did not qualify and attended a prep school before enrolling at West Virginia this past winter. Neither attended a spring practice. Heastie will transfer to Old Dominion and Long to New Mexico. For an already inexperienced receiving corps, this hurts West Virginia's depth.

With West Virginia looking to have a more balanced offensive attack, this season's receiving corps will play a big role. It will take some veterans continuing their strong play, and some young players to step-up for the balanced attack to succeed.