Editor's Note: Dick Weiss, a member of the U.S. Basketball Writers Association Hall of Fame, has covered college sports in Philadelphia and New York for more than 40 years. He will be providing regular commentary for the American Athletic Conference during the 2014-15 season.
Justin Hardy has come a long way from being a nearly invisible prospect on the recruiting landscape when he was a senior at West Craven High School in North Carolina.
East Carolina's senior wide receiver is just four catches away from surpassing Oklahoma star Ryan Broyles as the most prolific career receiver in FBS football history.
The 6-0, 188-pound Hardy, a four year starter, has 345 catches for Ruffin McNeill's pass happy "Air Raid" offense and has played a major role in the Pirates’ season, which has East Carolina at 6-3 entering Saturday’s game against Tulane.
Hardy, who was shifted from wide receiver to quarterback for his senior year in high school, always dreamed of playing for East Carolina, which is located just 25 miles away from his home in Vanceboro. But even though Hardy’s high school coach, Kevin Yost, had produced ACC players in the past, he just couldn't attract attention for a skinny 160-pound quarterback, no matter how much tape he sent out. By February, major college coaches were scared of his size. Hardy only had one scholarship offer – and that was to play quarterback at Division II Fayetteville State.
He signed it.
Then, fate stepped in. Skip Holtz left East Carolina to become the head coach at USF, McNeill took the job and ECU's new offensive coordinator Lincoln Riley was scrambling to find wide receivers to who could flourish in the spread offense.
They found a tape of Hardy lying on the floor of his office and made a call, offering Hardy a chance to walk on if Yost could fight his way through an NCAA appeal so he could play closer to home. Hardy arrived that summer and the rest is history.
Hardy spent his first year as a redshirt, alternating between quarterback and wide receiver on the scout team. Then, his career took off.
Hardy, who has a great pair of hands, has caught at least one pass in 45 straight games, the longest active streak in the country. He evokes comparisons to Michael Crabtree of the San Francisco 49ers from McNeill and Riley, who were on the Texas Tech staff when Crabtree was an unstoppable force on Mike Leach's offensive-minded Big 12 power. Pirates wide receiver coach Donnie Kirkpatrick has called Hardy a "definite first round pick.''
If The American was a quarterbacks league last year - with high NFL draft picks Blake Bortles of UCF and Teddy Bridgewater of Louisville among others, the spotlight has shifted to the wide receiver position this fall, where the league has a deep group that is comparable to any conference in the country.
This is a league that thrives on being wide open and offensive-minded with quarterbacks like Shane Carden of ECU and Gunner Kiel of Cincinnati. Every team has at least one star at the wideout position. Some, like UCF, have as many as three - J.J. Worton, Breshad Perriman and Rannell Hall.
Here is a look at just some of the top players at wide receiver this season:
Keevan Lucas, a 5-10, 198-pound sophomore at Tulsa, is actually the statistical leader in all three major receiving categories, with 81 catches for 1,037 yards and 11 touchdowns. Lucas graduated from Abilene, Texas, early so he could participate in spring drills and play as a true freshman. He is ranked seventh nationally in receptions (8.1 per game) and is 13th in receiving yards (103.7 ypg). He is fourth among all FBS players in touchdown receptions.
Deontay Greenberry, Houston's 6-3, 198-pound junior receiver from Fresno, Calif., who who had 82 catches for 1,202 yards and 11 touchdowns and was an all-conference first team selection last year, was probably the biggest name coming back in The American. He was first team all-state for a 14-0 Washington High school that won the Division III state championship, was the first five-star recruit in school history and is generally considered the best receiver in the state of Texas. Greenberry has 50 catches for 596 yards and four touchdowns this season for the always dangerous Cougars.
J.J. Worton, a 6-2, 212-pound senior who was a second-team all-conference selection last year, has caught 166 passes for 2,296 yards and 20 touchdowns, but the play that stands out the most was his spectacular one-handed game-tying diving catch with time running out against Temple that and forced overtime during a 39-36 come from behind victory in Philadelphia. ESPN thought so much of it that the network awarded Worton with the Sports Science Newton Award for Best Catch last February.
Cincinnati, like UCF, has terrific depth at the wideout spot, but
Shaq Washington has emerged as the most consistent player. Washington has 47 catches for 510 yards and three touchdowns, emerging as a steady target for Kiel.
Mekale McKay (seven touchdown receptions) and
Chris Moore (six TDs, 22.8 yards per catch) have proven to be big-play threats.
Jalen Fitzpatrick of Temple.a 5-10, 180 pound senior, has emerged at Temple's go to receiver with 37 catches for 512 yards and five touchdowns. He scored a touchdown during a key five-game stretch that has helped the Owls stand one win away from bowl eligibility.
Senior
Andre Davis of USF has battled through a sternum injury that caused him to miss four games, but has 26 receptions for 475 yards and six touchdowns this year. He will finish his career as the Bulls’ career leader in receiving yards despite having a figurative revolving door at quarterback. Davis had the game-winning touchdown with four seconds left in regulation last weekend against SMU.
Geremy Davis, a 6-3, 216-pound fifth year senior from UConn, has 34 catches for 436 yards and three touchdowns in a season that has been limited by injuries. The Huskies are a different team offensively when Davis is on the field.
Picking just two of these receivers for first team all-conference honors will not be easy for the league’s 11 head coaches. They have all combined to increase to profile of this league, which wants to be known for its entertaining style of play.