The Spartans are of course having a great 2011 season, but it's never too early to start thinking about next year. One thing that has caught my eye is that the Spartans should be better everywhere, except at quarterback and wide receiver. I'm less worried about quarterback because Andrew Maxwell should become at least an adequate replacement for Kirk Cousins, but the receiving unit could actually become an even bigger liability than the O-line was this year.
The Spartans will be graduating their two best receivers, BJ Cunningham and Keshawn Martin, and solid backup, Keith Nicol. They are also graduating two of their best tight ends, Brian Linthicum and Garrett Celek. At this point, tight end is a little less of a worry because Dion Sims will be back next year as a junior and I actually expect him to become first-round draft material.
At wide receiver, however, there is nobody we can point to at this time that appears to be a lock to become a stud receiver, next year. Bennie Fowler will be a junior next year and he has shown flashes of brilliance. Of course, he hasn't played yet this year because of injury, so we haven't had a good opportunity to gauge his abilities. Tony Lippett will be a redshirt sophomore next year, and he too has shown flashes of brilliance. This year the coaches have been playing him at receiver and corner, but considering the scarcity at receiver next year, I would expect him to switch to full time receiver.
After Fowler and Lippett, the pickings are slim, or I should say: unproven. Redshirt freshman Keith Mumphery is listed as the third receiver for the Z position. I can't remember seeing him play in any games this season, but apparently he has played since he is credited with 2 receptions for 39 yards. According to Scout, he was a 3-star recruit with good size and speed. Still, if he emerges next year, we would have to call that a pleasant surprise.
After Mumphery, no other receivers are listed on the depth chart, so we need to look for the emergence of receivers from the more recent recruiting classes. In 2011, the Spartans only took one receiver, Juwan Caeser. Scout has him rated as a 3-star recruit with good height (6'4") and decent speed (4.65 in the 40). He could contribute next year, but considering how little information there is on him, that would only be speculation.
The 2012 class may offer some hope. Of course, Aaron Burbridge is the highest-rated of the receivers committed to the Spartans and in my mind he looks like a potential superstar who will play his freshman year. His contributions as a freshman will likely be limited, but I would expect him to be good enough to contribute around 40 receptions.
The Spartans also have 2 other 3-star recruits in the 2012 class: MacGarrett Kings and Kyle Kerrick. Kerrick has great size and moves well, while Kings is likely to become a slot receiver that runs good routes and has good hands. It's hard to predict what they will be able to contribute next year, but I would expect them to redshirt at this point.
The final place to look for a contribution to next year's receiving core is from receivers that have yet to commit. The Spartans are hoping to get Monty Madaris to commit and I could see him earning playing time as a freshman. Scout rates him as a 4-star recruit, with great size and speed. Another potential recruit is Corey Smith, who is rated as a 3-star recruit. He may actually be able to contribute right away because he is already playing at the college level, at Grand Rapids Community College.
So, the bottom line is that the Spartans will be quite young at wide receiver. Clearly, this position has the potential to become the biggest liability on next year's team. On the other hand, I think Fowler, Lippett, and Burbridge all have star potential, and they even have the potential to eventually become the strongest group of receivers in Spartan history. For the Spartans' sake, however, I hope they play like stars early on in their careers.
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