Indiana University Athletics
Closer Look at the Hoosier Wide Receivers
3/13/2006 12:00:00 AM | Football
March 13, 2006
IUHOOSIERS.COM continues its position-by-position breakdown of the 2006 Indiana football team with a look at the wide receivers.
Wide receiver is arguably Indiana's deepest position, as the Hoosiers return six players who each caught at least 10 passes a year ago. Furthermore, there is a trio of impressive redshirt freshmen pass catchers eager to work their way into the rotation this spring.
Wide receivers coach Billy Lynch is anxious to work with this surplus of skilled players.
"We are excited to continue the development of our wide receiver group this spring. We feel like we have a very talented group and this spring will provide us with the opportunity to improve our technique and fundamentals as well as continue our understanding of the offense and what is expected of them."
James Hardy was one of the nation's top wide receivers in 2005. A second team all-league selection and Rivals.com Freshman All-American caught 61 passes for 893 yards and 10 touchdowns. The 61 receptions are third in single-season school history, the 893 yards are fifth and the 10 touchdowns are second.
Hardy is the first IU receiver since Ernie Jones (1987) to catch at least one touchdown in seven of his first eight games, and he caught two touchdown passes on three separate occasions (at Wisconsin, Illinois and at Michigan State). His five 100-plus yard receiving performances are tied for fifth in single-season school history. Hardy recorded a career-high 12 catches for 203 yards and one touchdown at Iowa (Oct. 15). With his performance, Hardy became the fourth receiver in school history to record a 200-yard game and the first since Tyrone Browning racked up 258 yards against Western Michigan (Sept. 12, 1998). He is the first player in school history to catch at least one touchdown pass in six straight games.
The Iowa performance followed a 10-catch, 118-yard effort against Illinois (10/8). Thus, Hardy is the only wide receiver in school history to post double digit reception efforts in back-to-back games.
Jahkeen Gilmore (30 receptions, 383 yards) was the Hoosiers' third-leading receivers last fall. James Bailey was one of the top comeback stories in college football in 2005, finishing as his team's fourth-leading receiver after his involvement in a March 2005 auto accident that forced him to spend two weeks in a hospital and another two weeks in a wheelchair. He caught 27 passes for 335 yards and three touchdowns. Tight end Matt O'Neal (11) and freshman Brandon Walker-Roby (10), the half-brother of IU's all-time leading receiver, Courtney Roby, round out Indiana's double digit receivers. Walker-Roby was one of three true freshmen to see action for the Hoosiers' last season.
Waiting in the wings are three talented redshirt freshmen who showed flashes of strong play in practice last fall - Chris Banks has a 34-inch vertical leap with great speed, while Andrew Means has great size and runs solid routes. Means is also an outfielder on the IU baseball team. Finally, Nick Polk has great hands and a knack for the big play.
Lynch looks forward to working with this impressive set of interchangeable parts.
"With James Hardy, Jahkeen Gilmore, James Bailey and Brandon Walker-Roby returning, the red shirt tag off of Nick Polk, Andrew Means, and Chris Banks, and the addition of (grayshirt) Terrance Turner and a healthy Lance Bennett, this will be a very competitive spring," Lynch said. "I am excited to see the guys compete and find out where they all end up on the depth chart coming out of spring."
