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BYU's seventh-leading receiver by number of catches in 2014 wasn't Devon Blackmon, Kurt Henderson, Trey Dye or Nick Kurtz — guys who have been getting quite a lot of publicity in spring camp.

It was walk-on Colby Pearson, a rising junior from Blackfoot, Idaho, who had 16 catches for 270 yards and three touchdowns before suffering a season-ending broken collarbone after a 34-yard reception against UNLV. Pearson missed the rest of the UNLV game and the final three games.

Well, he's back, wearing a red "no-contact" jersey in practices and trying to re-establish himself again on what should be a deep and talented BYU receiving corps.

I wrote about Pearson's road back — and the fact that he's about to be placed on scholarship — in this piece in today's Tribune.

Pearson has never lacked confidence. He plans to become one of Taysom Hill's go-to receivers this year, even if he's not being hyped up like the others. For the record, last year's leading pass-catchers and the number of receptions:

Mitch Mathews (73), Jordan Leslie (55), Mitch Juergens (28), Paul Lasike (25), Terenn Houk (21), Devin Mahina (20) and Pearson (16). Of course, Leslie, Lasike and Mahina have exhausted their eligibility.

"I definitely want this season to be better than last season," Pearson said. "I want to keep working my way up and stay with the ones. As a personal goal, I want close to 1,000 yards [receiving] and as far as touchdowns, I dunno. I definitely want more than I had. Shoot, 6 or 7 touchdowns."

Pearson said having a scholarship won't cause him to change his "walk-on attitude."

"Coach Mendenhall says he wishes all players could come in without a scholarship, because of how hard they learn how to work. A lot of players who have scholarships, their production lowers.

That's something I am not going to let happen. It is going to drive me harder to excel.

That's been one of my goals; The hard work is paying off. Plus, it is taking the stress off me outside football."

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Mendenhall wasn't available for interviews after practice Thursday, but receivers coach Guy Holliday came into the interview, which is always a treat.

Holliday always delivers some good stuff, and March 12 was no exception.

Here's a sampling of his comments about his receivers group and some specific receivers:

On how Nick Kurtz is doing:

"He is trying to get the rust off a little bit. I think from a receivers standpoint he's done some really good things….He's been really good."

On Devon Blackmon:

"Devon Blackmon has improved greatly, which I expected after being a year in the system. And Kurt Henderson is doing really well. So I think those four [Mathews, Kurtz, Henderson and Blackmon] are all competing. Nick's got the tools. I think in a week or two, he will start to come on. But I am really excited about how we look right now."

On whether they will have 6-8 WRs in the rotation this year:

"Oh, we will get them. We got six or eight, and we got guys coming in that will have to get up to speed. The thing about it that is different from last year, obviously, Jordan Leslie wasn't here for spring ball, and neither was Devon. Nick was here. This year, we are going to have to count on two [more] that's going to come in and contribute right away, and it will be fun, because we got four guys [total] coming, and the competition will be there. I've always said, competition makes you better, and if it doesn't you need to quit."

On Taysom playing and Stew here, how much that helps receivers:

"Taking Taysom's legs away will probably be the most productive thing for him this spring because he has got to focus on what is going to get him to the next level, and that's throwing the football."

On the inside receivers:

"I think Terenn [Houk] is having a good spring. [Mitchell] Juergens' knowledge really helps us tremendously, and Trey Dye is making improvements. We are moving guys inside and out. You will see some sets where Devon and Mitch are inside. What we are really doing is growing the offense."

On the overall upgrades to the receiving corps:

"Speed attracts people as long as speed can catch. There is thing called self-check. You can be running wide open and check yourself if you can't catch. You still gotta be able to catch the ball. And as long as they can make plays, they are going to require attention out there, and that's a good thing."

On Taysom's statement that this is best receiving corps he's had to throw to:

"I am not going to comment on that. Taysom gives too much credit. He's being nice. No [just kidding], we gotta chance and we will keep progressing.

It is kinda like a horse. If you stop spanking them, they stop running. So we gotta keep whipping them and getting them faster and faster, and then at the end, let's see what the numbers say. Let's not pet them too much. Everyone wants to give credit. It is like my dog. You start scratching him behind the ears, he lays down. You don't want them to lay down."

On freshman Josh Weeks and whether he can have an impact:

"It is too early to tell. He's got really strong hands. I think when a kid has been out of football for two years, let's not assume he is going to walk back in and pass everybody. He is a big body with strong hands. He can run a little bit better than what I thought. We gotta work on his foot quickness and get him adapting to the game. So he's behind the other guys, but I mean he's been out of football two years.

You miss two weeks and you are behind, so you miss two years, I can't even imagine what that does. I have a few guys coming back and I am excited to see where they are, but we have to temper those expectations, because if you haven't ran in a few years, your legs can't fire quite like they need to fire."

On the identity of the returned missionary, transfer from Division I program that he mentioned earlier:

"You all aren't gong to get the answer; you should know me by now. … If you want to take me to lunch, you gotta a chance [at getting the answer]."