Ranking The Wide Receivers In The SoCon For The 2013 Campaign

Freshman record-breaker Sean Price Enters The 2013 Season Part Of An Appalachian State Quartet Of Wide Receivers Considered Among The Best At The FCS Level.

Despite the graduation of the SoCon’s second all-time leading receiverm, Elon’s Aaron Mellette, the SoCon’s 2013 crop of receivers could rival any conference in the FCS in terms of talent. It begins with the talented quartet that returns to Appalachian State.

Highlighting that quartet is Sean Price, who went on to have the best season in the history of Division I football last season, surpassing all of Randy Moss’ receiving records last season. Price set FCS freshman records for receptions (81) and yards (1,196 yds), while also hauling in eight scoring catches in his redshirt freshman season in the High Country.

Andrew Peacock (79 rec, 795 yds, 4 TDs, 10.1 YPR), Malachi Jones (32 rec, 370 yds, 2 TDs, 11.6 YPR) and Tony Washington (39 rec, 472 yds, 3 TDs, 12.1 YPR) round out what is arguably the top receiving corps in the FCS heading into 2013, and maybe the best contingent of pass-catchers in school history.

There are other greats returning to the wide receiver position in the SoCon, too, such as Samford’s Kelsey Pope and Chattanooga’s Terrell Robinson. Robinson stars in a variety of different positions for the Mocs’ offense, including receiver and quarterback. El0n’s Kierre Brown will now be expected to shoulder the receiving load for the Phoenix, and he will have some huge shoes to fill, replacing the SoCon’s second all-time leading wide receiver, in Aaron Mellette.

Remember, it was Mellette that had to replace Terrell Hudgins a couple of years ago, and much like Brown, it was up to Mellette to find a way to somehow fill that unimaginable void left by Hudgins as a result of graduation, and replace a guy in his predecessor who broke all of Jerry Rice’s receiving records, which is  a daunting task by anyone’s measure. All Mellette during his career was complete it as the Southern Conference’s second all-time leading receiver behind only his predecessor, with 304 catches for 4,254 yards and 44-career scoring grabs. Below is a look at the top receivers in the SoCon heading into 2013.

Ranking The SoCon’s Wide Receivers

1. Sean Price (Appalachian State)–Appalachian State’s Sean Price heads into the 2013 season as perhaps the best receiver in all of FCS football, and with Jamal Jackson returning to throw him the rock, the near future looks extremely bright for the rising sophomore receiver. It was a record-breaking redshirt freshman season for ASU’s Price, who set freshman marks for receptions (81) and yards (1,138), breaking the previous marks in respective category, including the receiving yards mark once established by Marshall’s Randy Moss (1,073 rec yds) in 1996 when he played in the Southern Conference in what was Marshall’s final season as an FCS and SoCon member. His 81 catches broke the previous record of 71 catches previously set by Drew Amerson of Cal State Northridge.

Price wasn’t just prolific, he was clutch. No catches were more crucial than those he made away from the friendly confines of The Rock.

No, they were made in Birmingham, AL., and Statesboro, GA. In the dramatic, 28-25, win over No. 25 Samford and time winding down, it was Price showing just what kind of clutch player he is at such a young age. With the nose of the football resting at the 22-yard line, Jackson lofted a pass towards the back right corner of the Seibert Stadium end zone, forcing Price to out-leap All-Freshman defensive back James Bradberry and haul in the Jackson offering, all with the presence of mind to get his right foot down in bounds, allowing the Mountaineers to turn a 25-21 deficit into a 28-25 win.

On the road in Statesboro and needing a win to just remain alive for the playoffs, Price again came alive and combined with Jackson to put the Mountaineers on his back to help will ASU to a 31-28 win over FCS Coaches Poll No. 1 ranked Georgia Southern.

On just seven catches, the ASU freshman wideout would set an ASU freshman record with 231 receiving yards, including a highlight-reel 56-yard scoring TD reception with back-to-back spin moves to get free from the GSU defense. He then out-raced everyone down the sidelines to pay dirt for one of the biggest plays of ASU’s 21-point second quarter explosion.

2. Kelsey Pope (Samford)–Quietly, Samford’s Kelsey Pope has become one of the top wide receivers in school history, and heads into his final campaign for Pat Sullivan’s Bulldogs with a chance to lead Samford to its first playoff appearance since the mid 1990’s. The Samford receiver comes into his final season as a Bulldog having hauled in 182 passes for 1,596 yards and has 12-career scoring catches. The rising senior wide receiver hauled in 68 passes for 552 yards and four scores last fall, averaging 8.1 YPR.

3. Andrew Peacock (Appalachian State)–Another talented component of that Appalachian State arsenal at the wide receiver position heading into the 2013 season is Andrew Peacock. Coming into his senior season, having caught 130 passes for 1,402 yards and seven career scoring catches. Peacock is a great compliment to Price at wide receiver for the Mountaineers, and he started at the “M” wideout position in the Mountaineers’ each of the past two seasons. He possesses good speed and route-running abilities, and in 2012, Peacock hauled in 79 passes for 795 yards and four TDs, averaging 10.1 YPR last fall.

Elon Wide Receiver Kierre Brown Looks To Now Carry The Torch For Phoenix Wide Receivers Passed Down By Terrell Hudgins, And Most Recently, Aaron Mellette.

4. Kierre Brown (Elon)– Kierre Brown comes into the season with some huge shoes to fill at the wide receiver position for the Elon Phoenix, replacing Aaron Mellette as Elon’s top wide receiver as well as the top receiver in the Southern Conference. It will now be up to Brown to follow in a lineage which started with Terrell Hudgins back in the mid 2000’s. Last season, Brown hauled in 45 passes for 642 yards and four scores last season. For his career thus far, he has hauled in 56 passes for 843 yards and six TDs in his two seasons with the Phoenix.

5. Terrell Robinson (Chattanooga)–Terrell Robinson has played a number of positions in a Chattanooga uniform, including running back and quarterback. However, after starting out the 2012 season logging a majority of his 2012 at the quarterback position, he played much of the latter half at wide receiver. With the other wide receiver Marlon Anthony nursing an injury, Robinson became the Mocs’ go-to-target.

Robinson completed the 2012 season leading the club in receiving, hauling in 40 passes for 489 yards and 5 TDs, averaging 12.2 yards-per-reception. Robinson also passed for 296 yards and a couple of scores, while also rushing for 222 yards and three scores in 2012.

6. Tony Washington (Appalachian State)–The third threat as a part of that talented Appalachian State quartet of receivers entering the 2013 season is speedster Tony Washington. Washington comes into 2013 coming a successful junior season, which saw him haul in 39 passes for 472 yards and three scores, averaging 12.1 YPR. He comes into his senior season having hauled in 75 passes for 898 yards and six scores. Washington is also extremely dangerous as a kick return threat, coming off a 2012 season which saw him average 27.3 yards per kick return, including recording a 99-yard return for a score against Wofford.

7. Ryan Culbreath (Furman)–After leading wideout Will King went down in the mid-season with what turned out to be a season-ending injury, it would be up to Ryan Culbreath to lead the charge catching the football last season for Bruce Fowler’s Paladins. The junior would complete the 2012 campaign by hauling in 34 passes for 415 yards and a couple of scores, averaging 12.2 YPR. Coming into his senior season for the Purple and White, Culbreath has hauled in 54 passes for 696 yards and has five career scoring catches. The 6-4, 213-pound wideout not only offers a great pair of hands as a possession wideout for the Paladins, he also presents matchup problems with his size and is a great perimeter blocking presence in the option game.

8. Spearman Robinson (Western Carolina)–With Jacoby Mitchell graduated, it will be up to Spearman Robinson to lead the charge for Western Carolina this fall. Robinson, who chose Western Carolina over Appalachian State out of the same high school as former Mountaineer legend Armanti Edwards, was a solid option in the young Catamount offense in 2012. He hauled in 39 passes for 376 yards and a score last season. Robinson has excellent speed and I look for him to have a breakout season in the Catamounts’ spread offense this fall.

Furman Sophomore Wideout Jordan Snellings Will See More Passes Thrown His Way In 2013 And He Enters The Campaign As One Of The SoCon’s Best Young Receiving Threats.

9. Jordan Snellings (Furman)–Like WCU’s Robinson, Furman’s Jordan Snellings was one of the top young wide receivers in the SoCon last season, and he will remind Paladin fans of Donald Lipscomb with his gracefulness and has the afterburners comparable to former Paladin wideout Isaac West. With Hannon having a year of familiarity under center for the Paladins, like WCU’s Robinson, I expect Snellings to have a big sophomore season. He garnered SoCon All-Freshman honors by hauling in 19 passes for 210 yards and three scores last season, averaging 11.1 YPR.