Who'll catch on as NSU's top WR? Jeremy Wicker

NORFOLK

Jeremy Wicker lacks the traditional wide receiver's desire to draw attention to himself, even when he might have every right to stand up, wave his arms and scream.

With Norfolk State's top two wide receivers from 2009 gone, one of the Spartans' crucial issues is determining who will catch passes thrown by their yet-to-be-determined quarterback.

The answer, Wicker says, should be pretty clear: It's the guy who has been a Spartan for five seasons now.

"Even some of the guys on the team, they don't direct it at you, but you hear them. They're like, 'Man, now we don't have any receivers.' It's like 'Come on. I've done this before. I've had 100-yard games. I've played Kentucky. I've played Rutgers. I've done it.' "

With reasonable success, too.

Wicker, a 5-foot-11, 200-pound redshirt senior, burst onto the scene as a freshman with 172 yards and two touchdowns against North Carolina A&T in 2007.

He was second-team preseason All-MEAC a year later. A nd in Norfolk State's showcase game against Kentucky, he put up 115 all-purpose yards and 70 yards receiving against cornerback Trevard Lindley, then considered one of the country's top defensive backs and currently a rookie with the Philadelphia Eagles.

Three weeks after the Kentucky game, Wicker was grounded. After making his second reception of the game and crossing the 50-yard threshold in the first half, a Bethune-Cookman player landed on Wicker's ankle, putting him on crutches with a high ankle sprain.

Head coach Pete Adrian said Wicker never looked healthy again until this spring.

"It was a sprain, but it was one of those sprains that takes forever to heal right," said Wicker, who was in and out of the lineup the rest of the year. "You'd actually rather have a clean break or a fracture."

P.J. Hayden, ruled academically ineligible this season, replaced Wicker and ran with the opportunity. Chris Bell arrived last year and became NSU's top threat before declaring for the NFL d raft.

Their play sentenced Wicker to the slot, where he was dependable (25 receptions), but not dynamic (7.6 yards per catch and a long of 17). But with Hayden and Bell gone, Wicker is left atop the totem pole.

"He's going to have to carry the load for us," wide receiver coach Paul Macklin said. "He knows the system. He's shown some leadership. This is his chance. Now is his time to shine."

Wicker says his explosiveness never disappeared. Only the opportunity to show it did.

His 40-time has slowed just a touch to 4.5 as he's put on muscle, but he says he's still fast enough to match the 15.6-yard-per-catch average from his first two seasons.

He'd better be. The other options on the NSU roster remain raw. Only 4 of 13 players listed at receiver have played the position in a game. Despite that, Adrian has downplayed concerns at receiver.

"I know we have enough good players there, enough talent," Adrian said. "They just need the chance to play."

Nigel McCowan is the only other returning receiver with a reception last year, but with a 4.7 40-yard dash, he won't scare safeties. Montel Gamble, a junior college transfer, has the physique, but is struggling with the playbook.

Derrick Demps and Kelvin Lewis are having good camps, but have never played. Running back Marvin Ford and converted RB Victor Hairston are spending time in the slot.

The inexperience has forced Macklin to spend much of the preseason stressing simple things such as catching the ball consistently and running routes properly.

"We are nowhere close to where I thought we'd be, where we need to be," Macklin said Tuesday, a roll of his eyes as telling as his words. "We have a very young group. We have a lot of work to do."

Wicker has the least. That's why the Spartans clearly need him the most.

"I get upset thinking about it," Wicker said. "A lot of teams don't see us as anything to worry about. People wonder what we'll do without P.J. and Bell. We're more than just those guys. Before they were doing it, I was catching deep balls."

Chris Carlson, (757) 446-2367, chris.carlson@pilotonline.com.