1/18/2017 football Edit

Looking Ahead: WR

Austin Proehl is by far the most experienced wide receiver returning for the Tar Heels next fall. (Bruce Young, THI)

Andrew Jones • TarHeelIllustrated

Publisher

Andrew Jones has covered sports for 26 years, including all major college & professional sports for daily newspapers & national sites. He's done radio and TV & is entering his seventh year at THI.

THI continues looking ahead to next football season, focusing on each position group. Today we look at Wide Receiver:

RETURNING: Redshirt Freshmen Rontavius Groves, Roscoe Johnson; Sophomores Juval Mollette, Anthony Ratliff; Juniors Josh Cabrera, Devin Perry; Seniors Austin Proehl, Jordan Cunningham, Thomas Jackson.

INCOMING: J.T. Cauthen, 3-star, Waxhaw, NC; Tyler Smith, 3-star, Powder Springs, GA.

2016 Stats

Austin Proehl – 43 receptions, 597 yards, 3 TDs.

Thomas Jackson – 17 receptions, 186 yards, 4 TDs.

Jordan Cunningham – 6 receptions, 82 yards.

Anthony Ratliff – 3 receptions, 21 yards.

Josh Cabrera – 1 reception, 5 yards.

Devin Perry – 1 reception, 6 yards

Let this settle in for a second: The Tar Heels lost to graduation three receivers whose combined career totals are 448 receptions, 6,340 yards and 53 touchdowns. That’s what left the program when Ryan Switzer, Bug Howard and Mack Hollins played their last games. And what’s returning isn’t exactly looking like a potential replica of that trio.

In fact, only one recruited scholarship wide receiver caught more than one pass last season. Proehl grabbed 43 balls, but after him Jackson was a walk on until last summer, Cunningham transferred from Vanderbilt, and Ratliff arrived at UNC as a quarterback.

Jackson proved this past fall he’s reliable and can make big plays. Cunningham had some big catches in the Sun Bowl and has been around long enough he should be serviceable. The staff really likes Ratliff’s potential.

There is talent at this position. Mollette was a 4-star prospect but needs to grasp things better, Cabrera had a fantastic camp two years ago, but has struggled getting anywhere near the rotation, and the speedy Perry has been slowed by some injuries and otherwise it just hasn’t entirely clicked. But it can’t be understated their potential.

Groves traveled this past season and spent much of the year listed on the depth chart even though he redshirted. Ask around the program and his name is quick to roll off any tongue when inquiring about potential breakthrough players in 2017.

True freshmen Smith and Cauthen will get opportunities to get on the field, though Smith missed most of his senior HS season with an injury.

As bleak as this position appears at this time, talent and opportunity can be a great combination, and the staff will certainly find out by late August the players primed to step forward, and if the light goes on for Mollette, as an example, the drop off here won’t be as significant as some are projecting.