Vanderbilt’s Wide Receivers Show Good Sign In Avoiding Drops

Vanderbilt’s fall camp is coming to a close and is entering its preparation week for Week 1 against Charleston Southern.

The wide receiver room has been one of the more intriguing stories throughout camp. From Martel Hight trying to become a two-way player between cornerback and wide receiver to Tre Richardson making a positive first impression to the coaching staff, the Commodores receivers will be an interesting story to follow throughout the season.

On top of those headlines is another good sign that has come from the receivers. Vanderbilt has done a good job of catching passes and avoiding issues with drops in passes. After Wednesday’s practice at camp, wide receivers coach Al ex Bailey talked about the limited amount of dropped balls throughout camp.

“It’s definitely something where you’re going to harp on those things. Catching the football is what we do. That’s always something you’re going to continue to work on as a wide receiver, but I also think, too, those guys are just more comfortable having been in the offense in year two,” Bailey said. 

Vanderbilt may not have a dominating receiver such as Jeremiah Smith from Ohio State or maybe Ryan Williams from Alabama, but the Commodores do have experienced receivers in Junior Sherrill and Richie Hoskins.

Now entering another season in the offense, Bailey thinks the pass catching ability has been helped by having familiar receivers in the offense year-to-year and being able to shift their focus to the defenders.

“I think that’s a product of those guys now are not worrying about what to do, how to line up, they kind of know those things already,” Bailey said. “Now, they focus on the defenses, focus on the looks they are getting defensively. Whi ch frees the mind up of ‘hey what plays are we running? What formations are we running?’ They’re able to think a whole lot less and focus in on the football.”

Coming into this year, Vanderbilt knows its wide receiver room is going to have to contribute more if it wants to achieve the goals it set out and improve on last season’s record. Sherrill was the leading receiver in the position room with 541 yards. For Vanderbilt’s offense to become more lethal, that number needs to improve.

The good news is with the addition of Richardson, a Division II transfer from Washburn University, and Hight into the offense, it allows for Bailey and offensive coordinator to set up more explosive plays for the offense, which is certainly helped out by the receivers dropping very few passes.

“One of the biggest things coming out of last year was to be more explosive in the pass game. Having that as a point of emphasis, catching the ball is a huge part of that,” Bailey said.

Vanderbilt will have a chance to experiment with its experience and new receivers in a game in just 10 days. The Commodores season kicks off Aug. 30 at 6 p.m. CT.

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