Every so often, Wil Young will catch a screen pass and run 60 yards for a touchdown. Sometimes he can be seen leaping high, using his 6-foot-3, 215-pound frame to wrestle the ball away from a defensive back.
The University of Tennessee at Chattanooga coaching staff sees that, too. They want to see more of it.
The redshirt freshman receiver has shown glimpses of being a dominant playmaker throughout spring practice and training camp. He was talented enough to almost work his way into the rotation last year, and he expects to be there this season.
The word “consistency” was thrown around by coaches when asked about Young.
“He’s getting better,” UTC coach Russ Huesman said Saturday. “He still kind of looks like a freshman at times, but he’s got a lot of ability – there’s no question about that. He’s a really good kid, a bright kid, it’s just the consistency through the course of practice that he’s really got to hone in on.
“I think when he becomes consistent, he’ll become a better football player, but he’s got a lot of ability and we’re expecting him to help us this year.”
Young scored a touchdown on the fifth play of Friday’s scrimmage at Finley Stadium, taking a pass on a bubble screen and sprinting 55 yards for the score. He was aided by an Alphonso Stewart block downfield, but Young also showed some impressive speed getting into the end zone.
“He’s doing the little things that weren’t very important to him in the past,” receivers coach Will Healy said. “He’s becoming a physical presence on the perimeter with his blocking. The thing we’ve got to get him to buy into is the consistency. He’s shown flashes of running by people. He’s shown flashes of using his big body. He’s shown flashes of being a beast on the perimeter. What we’ve got to get him to do is do that play in and play out.
“He’s shown flashes of being ridiculously good. We’ve got to get him to where his bad snaps aren’t so bad they get you beat.”
These are all things that Young understands. He’s currently No. 2 on the depth chart behind all-conference receiver C.J. Board, and he knows that to earn his way on the field at the Mocs’ most crowded position on offense, he’ll have to be at his best every single day.
“It all starts with just making sure I feel comfortable out there,” Young said. “The first step is knowing the plays and knowing the offense; that’ll help me play faster. I feel like I have the potential to be a playmaker, as well as many other guys. We’re all out here practicing hard and looking for a way to make a contribution to this team and this offense.
“We have competitions at every position on the field, so you have to come out every day with the right mindset.”
Captains named
Senior defensive tackle Josh Freeman, senior linebacker A.J. Hampton, senior offensive lineman Synjen Herren, senior quarterback Jacob Huesman and junior defensive lineman Keionta Davis have been named team captains for the 2015 season.
Contact Gene Henley at ghenley@timesfreepress.com. Follow him at twitter.com/genehenleytfp.