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Provo • All four teams that made it to the College Football Playoff last season had "go-to" receivers, guys who entered the semifinal games with 85 receptions or more.
BYU, which finished 9-4, got it done by committee, mostly. The Cougars were led in catches by senior Mitch Mathews, who had 54 grabs for 737 yards and 11 touchdowns. Next best was fellow senior Devon Blackmon, who had 46 catches for 669 yards, but ended a strong final season without a touchdown catch.
With Mathews, Blackmon and the club's fourth-leading receiver from 2015, Terenn Houk (37 catches, 490 yards, two TDs), having graduated, the search is on at preseason training camp not only for a go-to guy, but three or four other reliable pass-catchers in new offensive coordinator Ty Detmer's pro-style offense.
Inexperience at the receiver and tight end positions might be the offense's biggest weakness this season.
"We have yet to have that guy who steps up and becomes the go-to guy," receivers coach Ben Cahoon said Monday. "We are still looking for that."
The obvious candidate is 6-foot-6 senior Nick Kurtz, but the Cougars' third-leading receiver from last year is nursing a broken foot suffered in June, and is still questionable for the opener on Sept. 3 against Arizona. Kurtz got in some light work this week, but couldn't go if the season started today.
"It warms your heart to see him out here running around a little bit. But he's got a long way to go before he is ready to put all his weight on that foot while running at full speed and breaking and cutting. I have no idea if he will be ready for the first game," Cahoon said.
Only three other receivers in camp — seniors Mitchell Juergens and Colby Pearson and sophomore Moroni Laulu-Pututau — caught passes last season.
"It is definitely next man up," said Pearson, who had 22 catches for 210 yards and a touchdown. "Guys are just getting reps, and doing what they can with their reps, and we will see what happens."
New coach Kalani Sitake isn't all that concerned with the inexperience at the receiver positions, because of the experience at quarterback.
"The key is we have really good quarterbacks who can get them the ball, so I think they will be fine," Sitake said. "They are very capable receivers. They have been waiting for their time, and their time has arrived, so it is their time to shine, and they are looking forward to it."
Like Pearson, Juergens also started his career as a walk-on, but emerged as a playmaker last season when he caught 37 passes for 471 yards and two touchdowns. He is also slated to be the primary punt returner this season. Because he is 6-4, Laulu-Pututau has been considered at tight end, but Cahoon says the sophomore is staying put, for now.
'He will definitely be used in the slot at some point in time," Cahoon said. "He's been nicked up so he hasn't practiced with us much the past week. But yeah, he's got a big body, he's strong, and presents matchup trouble for defenses. We are committed to trying to take advantage of that and use him however we can."
Like Sitake, Cahoon says the talent is there, and some guys will prove they can play at the Division I level.
"We would like to have more guys with game experience who have performed under the lights, but I think we've proved we have a good mix of youth and experience," he said. "I think they are very capable of making plays when the live bullets are flying."
No fewer than nine other receivers are pushing the top four for playing time, but Cahoon won't divulge a two-deep chart, saying it changes almost every day. Expectations are high for Snow College transfer Jonah Trinnaman and Beau Tanner, an Arizona native who originally signed with Kentucky but was not allowed to enroll due to an NCAA clearinghouse snafu.
"They have a skill set that is incredible," Cahoon said of Trinnaman and Tanner. "That is half the battle. It might be more than half the battle. They are both fast, and they threaten the defensive backs. They have got to make plays and turn that great speed into functional speed, but yeah, they are fun to watch."
Freshman Aleva Hifo and Micah Simon, a former defensive back, are also having strong camps, Pearson and Laulu-Pututau said.
Twitter: @drewjay —
BYU's top returning WRs
Player Yr Ht/Wt Last year
Nick Kurtz Sr. 6-6/215 39 rec, 578 yds, 3 TDs
Mitchell Juergens Sr. 5-10/181 37 rec, 471 yds, 2 TDs
Colby Pearson Sr. 6-0/205 22 rec, 210 yds, 1 TD
Moroni Laulu-Pututau So. 6-4/216 6 rec, 112 yds, 1 TD
BYU's new WRs
Player Yr. Ht/Wt Previous school
Jonah Trinnaman Jr. 6-0/190 Snow College
Aleva Hifo Fr. 5-10/180 Heritage (Calif.) HS
Inoke Lotulelei Fr. 5-9/190 Cottonwood High
Mack Richards Fr. 6-1190 Alta High/Hawaii
Micah Simon So. 6-1 189 BYU (DB)
Beau Tanner Fr. 6-0/188 Scottsdale (Ariz.) CC
Talon Shumway Fr. 6-3/200 Lone Peak HS
Rickey Shumway Fr. 6-2/200 Timpview HS
Garrett Juergens Sr. 5-10/184 BYU (DB)