Ryan Aplin has a different perspective as the new University of Tennessee at Chattanooga wide receivers coach.
Possibly because during his playing days, he was on the other end of passes.
The former Arkansas State quarterback, two-time Sun Belt offensive player of the year and three-time all-conference first-team selection is in his second season as a wide receivers coach, having spent last season at North Alabama. In his one season with the Lions, two of his receivers - Dre Hall and Julius Jones - received all-conference honors.
Aplin has grown through the coaching ranks, serving short stints as a graduate assistant at Auburn under Gus Malzahn and Ole Miss under Hugh Freeze, his two coaches while at Arkansas State. He also held the title of recruiting coordinator at North Alabama while coaching receivers.
"Last year I was a little skeptical, but having been a quarterback really plays with a benefit," he said. "I can teach guys what they're looking for. I know the reads, know the progressions, so as a quarterback I'm teaching from my perspective. I'm giving them real-life situations. I'm teaching them coverages, which I think is huge for a receiver, to be able to adjust on the run and see things post-snap.
"I'm seeing a completely different side as the receivers coach, but being a quarterback does help because it's frustrating at times. You run the same route over and over and over, and if you don't get it, you're thinking, 'Well, he don't like me,' and that's not the case. His read is just taking him to a different side."
At UTC, Aplin has inherited a talented group that returns six lettermen from last season, including starters Alphonso Stewart and James Stovall. Five receivers who caught multiple passes are back.
Aplin brings a hands-on approach to the position, getting out and demonstrating drills with the players - "My stance probably isn't great, so they probably give me a hard time for that," he said - and he's really focused on attention to detail. That should be no surprise, considering the position he played.
"We have a lot of quarterbacks on staff, so we all think alike and we're always on the same page," Aplin said after Tuesday's practice. "We communicate well and there's great translation, especially for the receivers, because now they're thinking about it as a quarterback. They think about what he's looking for. They've got to be at 14 (yards), they can't be at 10, or 11 or 13.5. They're thinking, 'I've got to be at my 14-yard depth.' That extra inch, that extra yard makes a difference every play.
"Being so detailed as a quarterback and teaching these receivers to be so detailed, it's going to help big picture-wise get us where we need to be. Being very specific, being detailed in routes and assignments is going to help us in game-time situations."
So will his interaction with the players. Aplin hasn't just simply been preaching to his position group what to do.
He's been out there doing it with them.
"That's fun to be able to move around with your coach," senior Alphonso Stewart said. "The biggest thing that he's harped on, to me, is finishing. Finishing every play, finishing every drill at full speed, and every time you're on the field giving 100 percent. That's what he's been harping on and what we like to pride ourselves on in that room right now."
Contact Gene Henley at ghenley@timesfreepress.com. Follow him on Twitter @genehenleytfp.