JSU football: Receivers embracing versatility in preseason practices

JACKSONVILLE — During the spring, Rich Rodriguez expressed happiness with the level of talent in his receiver room.
With the addition of transfers over the summer, the team’s quarterbacks now have a plethora of talented weapons to work with.
During the first full week of practice, Michael Pettway and Sterling Galban consistently ran with the “first team,” while transfers Jarod Bowie and Quinton Lane both saw time as the third receiver of that group.
Arizona transfer Jamarye Joiner has also seen plenty of reps.
Rodriguez and Pettway both said that Lane, who saw an elevated role on Thursday, has been learning the offense quickly and has impressed during preseason practices.
“Quinton Lane is going to be able to help us,” Rodriguez said. “I think he's getting a little bit more accustomed to our tempo and our pace, but I like what I've seen from him so far.”
Added Pettway: “Q is doing a great job. He came in, he's knowing his plays, he's knowing what to do. He's lining up, he's playing fast, he's playing at a really high level. He's a much bigger guy, so throwing up the ball to him, he's gonna go get it. I love Q, he's a great teammate.”
While Rodriguez also expressed his pleasure with the talent of Bowie, Pettway said that all of the transfer receivers have come in with a great mindset.
“They just came in ready to work,” Pettway said. “It’s obviously a transition from a different school to this school, just learning the terminology, understanding how practice goes. They're picking it up really well, but they've done a very good job of understanding things. I'm just really proud of them.”
Redshirt freshman Jordan McCants also had an impressive showing on Wednesday, earning one of the coaching staff’s coveted PayDay bars as a reward for his day at practice.
The Hewitt-Trussville alum’s practice was highlighted by a jumping grab on a pass from Te’Sean Smoot and an impressive catch to stay in bounds from Logan Smothers. He also had an impressive grab from Smoot near the end of practice.
“Jordan’s a really good athlete, and he's playing both inside and outside receiver,” Rodriguez said. “He loves football. I think I see him slowly getting better every day.”
Even with the depth of the group, the Gamecocks still have a duo of key receivers recovering from injury.
While Perry Carter will return from injury soon, Jacksonville State coach Rich Rodriguez said receiver P.J. Wells’ recovery time will be ‘eight to nine’ weeks.
Pettway said that while he’s excited about the depth of the group, it’s forced him to work harder in practice.
“It's cool to be a part of that depth,” Petway said. “I mean, it's kind of nerve-racking because you’ve got somebody behind you, they're just as good as you, so you’ve got to compete every day. But, it's amazing that we kind of have that depth, we all trust each other. We all know what we can do, so if somebody goes down, we're not you know, ‘ugh, he's in the game.’ We’re like, ‘Oh yeah, let's go, we know what he can do.’ So it's actually really good.”
Pettway also said that the team's versatility is a strength, as Rodriguez has been preaching the importance of having his receivers play different positions since the spring.
“We're all versatile,” Pettway said. “They're competing, we're all competing every day, so it's really good. I really love those guys, they make me work hard and we all make each other work hard to get better.”
Rodriguez described Pettway as one of the team’s leaders as the Alabaster native heads into his fourth season with the Gamecocks.
“Pettway’s the leader of the group,” Rodriguez said. “We know he's going to be consistent and do what he's supposed to do.”
The redshirt sophomore said that he's found ways to encourage and lead his team during the team’s preseason practices.
“I’ve just tried to be a more vocal leader compared to last year, I was more of a quiet person,” Pettway said. “Now, I'm just trying to be more vocal. Encouraging the guys, keeping them up, just go to the next play if something bad happens.”
While the group is competing against each other, Pettway said that one of the words he would use to describe the group is “goofy.”
He said that while all of the receivers are fun to be around, Joiner has become the “jokester” of the group.
“You’ve just got to be around us to really understand, but it's really love and goofiness,” Pettway said. “We can all joke with each other, joke about each other, whatever, and it's all still love at the end. That's just what I really love about our room.”