WVU freshmen wide receivers using summer to acclimate

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Summer school has been in session at West Virginia in the classroom and on the field.

That is especially true at the wide receiver position where four newcomers are now in the program and have been tasked with playing some follow the leader this summer.

True freshmen Sam James, Randy Fields, Bryce Wheaton and Dillon Spalding quite literally have been asked to follow around upperclassmen at their respective positions in order to learn the ropes.

Fields had a head start on his teammates arriving in May, but the rest were enrolled in early June to start their versions of Mountaineer boot camp.

Spalding is set to either play the inside H position or outside at X so naturally he was assigned with Biletnikoff finalist David Sills and the senior has tried to instill some of his habits.

“I’ve had Dillon and tried to teach them the things we expect them to do and how we expect them to work,” Sills said of the quartet of freshmen.

James is the speedster of the group and is slated to play outside at the Z, while Wheaton is the tallest and is different type of outside wide receiver on the opposite side at X. They’ve been spending their time following the outside options on the team notably Alabama transfer T.J. Simmons.

Fields is slotted for a role on the inside and brings a physical element to the game as well as the ability to catch passes through contact in traffic. He has bunked up with fellow senior Gary Jennings.

"We're definitely showing them the ropes. And showing them how to be great and they are kind of holding us accountable to so we can be great," Jennings said.

It’s said that it takes a village to raise children and getting new wide receivers up to snuff is no different so while each is assigned to follow one player around, it really becomes more of a group effort. Sills and Jennings are the two senior leaders at the position, so naturally they’ve taken on the most.

“We want them to come in and have the grind early. We want to show them how to work and not get in on the wrong foot and not know what the standard is,” he said. “I’m asking them if they caught today, to do what they do, and if they got on the jugs.”

While Sills has yet to see any action in pads, he has been impressed with what he has observed out of the freshmen to date and believes each of them are talented additions to the team. There is room for players to carve out roles as backups this fall and that means the freshmen have a chance as well.

They’ve also started to adapt to their new surroundings at the college level.

“The young guys that come in and have done a great job adapting. We’re all confident in each other,” Sills said. “They’re doing a great job competing and on the lifts.”

“They’re a very talented group from what I’ve seen so far,” he added.

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