Sizing up the last starting receiver spot

It’s easy to see who the Gamecocks top two receivers will be once the season starts; Bryan Edwards and Shi Smith will be on the field when the team takes its first offensive snap against North Carolina.

Now the focus shifts to competition for the third and final starting receiver spot and it looks like it’ll be between Josh Vann and OrTre Smith.

“Right now, Josh has done extremely well. OrTre’s trying to come back and make sure he’s mentally there to catch up with his physical stuff,” Bryan McClendon said. “Right now both of those guys are working extremely hard. You’re going to have to lean on both of those guys this season. Either way it goes, both guys are going to play.”

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Like McClendon said, in the grand scheme of things, who starts isn’t too huge of a deal since both guys will get their fair share of snaps throughout a game as part of the receiver rotation.

But someone does have to go out there first.

The two guys are at similar points in their careers as young receivers with Smith the more seasoned player by a year.

After playing in all 13 games as a freshman with 326 yards and three touchdown looked poised for a breakout sophomore year before a subluxed knee sidelined him two games into last season.

He’s fully healthy now and has spent the first part of camp, McClendon said trusting his knee again but things seem to be looking up.

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“OrTre had his best day yesterday,” he said after Tuesday’s practice. “The biggest thing with anybody trying to get over an injury is mentally being able to get over all the stuff. That’s where I’ve seen the biggest growth in him from when camp started until yesterday. He’s done a good job of that.”

Meanwhile the reviews from camp have been nothing but exceptional for Vann, who’s looked good after an up-and-down freshman year where he caught 18 passes for 118 yards and a touchdown.

This fall he looks much better from everything the coaching staff’s said publicly and seems to be ready to take the next step.

“The ability’s has always been there; he’s an extremely gifted guy when it comes to athletic ability and the ability to play the receiver position,” McClendon said. “It’s about going in there and doing it week in and week out, day in and day out, play in and play out with him. That’s been the biggest thing. He’s done a tremendous job improving.”

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With both of those guys seemingly in the rotation, the Gamecocks are still searching to see who will fill the final three spots in the receiver rotation.

McClendon said he likes to be two deep at each position with a “putty guy” who can bounce around between outside receiver and slot.

There are plenty of guys who are in the mix with a few veterans—Chavis Dawkins, Chad Terrell and Randrecous Davis—and talented freshmen—Xavier Legette, Tyquan Johnson and Keveon Mullins—who are still vying for a spot in the rotation.

“That’s still remains to be seen,” McClendon said. “All those guys have worked extremely hard. We’ve had a good camp when it comes to that. We’ve put a lot of pressure on those guys to make plays and catches.”