A healthy UI receiver room is a scary sight

Apr. 8—The Idaho football team might have one of the best receiver duos in the entire Football Championship Subdivision with senior Jermaine Jackson and junior Hayden Hatten.

Both Jackson and Hatten earned first-team All-Big Sky nods in 2022, Hatten as a receiver and Jackson as a kick returner. Jackson notched a second-team nod as a pass catcher as well.

Jackson and Hatten were the only tandem in the FCS to each account for more than 1,000 receiving yards last season.

"Those two have obviously solidified their spots," Idaho receivers coach Matt Linehan said. "But this is still a good chance for them to get better, and you see them showing up every day in practice."

Here's how the wide receiver room for the Vandals is looking:

Who's the other member of the band?

Idaho is two weeks into spring practice and its weakest position group appears to be the running backs.

With that being said, the Vandals will likely have sophomore quarterback Gevani McCoy pass even more than last season. Luckily for McCoy, he has no shortage of weapons to throw to.

Hatten and Jackson will require a lot of attention from opposing defenses, so when the pair gets blanketed, who will McCoy dish the ball out to?

Well, as of right now, the No. 3 receiver battle seems to be a two-person race between junior Michael Graves and redshirt freshman Jordan Dwyer. Both players saw limited action last year before their seasons got cut short because of injuries.

"These reps are extremely valuable for these guys," Linehan said. "They've all missed time due to injury at some point last year, and they're both becoming more comfortable with the offense."

Dwyer came in as the Vandals' No. 3 receiver when junior Terez Traynor went down during Idaho's season opener against Washington State last year. Dwyer played in four games, finishing with 12 receptions for 136 yards and two scores. As Dwyer continued to get reps, his route running became more polished. As spring practice has developed outside of Hatten, he's looked like Idaho's best route runner.

"He's so natural at the position," Linehan said. "He understands angles, route running, things of that nature, and at a young age that's hard to find. That's why he worked his way onto the field so early last year."

When Dwyer went down with a lower-body injury, Graves took over. The Sacramento, Calif., native played in nine games, finishing with 15 catches for 194 yards and a score. He averaged nearly 13 yards per catch and even had a 71-yard touchdown reception against Indiana on Sept. 10.

That touchdown grab was an example of what Graves does so well: using his speed to get behind the defense.

"He's got elite speed," Linehan said. "He can run by anybody, and he's a selfless teammate. He never complained and did what I asked him to do. He's a great guy in the room and supports all his teammates."

As of right now, the No. 3 receiver spot seems to be a neck-and-neck race between the two players, Linehan isn't ready to reveal a winner.

"It's pretty even right now," Linehan said. "Both of them have had days where one of them had a good day and the other stepped up the next day. It's too early to make a decision now, but both of them are making a case every day with their play."

Traynor looking to get back

Idaho's receiver room was plagued with injuries in 2021, and the injury bug's biggest bite had to be Traynor, who coming into last year, seemed to be the best receiver on its roster.

In 2021, Traynor played all 11 games and led the Vandals with 737 yards receiving and three scores. He played in four games last season, with his last game coming on Oct. 1 against Northern Colorado. He had one catch for nine yards before re-aggravating his injury.

Traynor is still battling with the injury and likely won't be 100% until summer and fall camp. He's using this time to get more familiar with the offense. It's been a frustrating transition so far, according to Linehan. But the junior is taking it day by day.

"We're trying to get him back into the flow of the offense," Linehan said. "He has to continue to study the playbook. It's a marathon, not a sprint. I tell him every day that it's not all going to come back to him in one day."

An underrated prospect

With all of the injuries Idaho suffered at the receiver position last year, several players received opportunities. One of those was Post Falls native Tommy Hauser.

The 5-foot-11 sophomore appeared in two games last year, finishing with two catches for 22 yards. He was a guy that Idaho didn't intend to play much, but his work ethic on and off the field earned him a chance.

"He's earned everything he's got since he's gotten here," Linehan said. "He was a gray shirt that we didn't know a whole lot about when he got here, but he's continued to move up. He's a tough kid and he's done a great job."

Hauser has been one of the biggest standouts during spring camp thus far. He's mainly been practicing with the twos and threes, but he's caught every pass that has been thrown his way. Unfortunately, Hauser will probably be buried in the depth chart behind a very deep group of players. But with his constant persistence, he should at least find a home on special teams.

"He runs every play like it's his last," Linehan said. "That's what brought him to this point and his knowledge of all three positions.

"What I love is his toughness. He does everything that I ask him to do, he's never going to take a play off. He's always going to be ready no matter what."

Pixley may be contacted at (208) 848-2290, tpixley@lmtribune.com or on Twitter @TreebTalks.