ORONO — Damarr Aultman and Arthur Williams aren’t going to come sprinting through that door for the Maine football team.

The speedy wide receivers have graduated, leaving the Black Bears with a young corps of potential replacements heading into this fall. There’s promise, but there are also some uncomfortable growing pains.

Friday’s practice was a case in point. Coach Jack Cosgrove shut it down early, telling his team that nothing was being accomplished on a raw day at Alfond Stadium.

No one is rawer then the wideouts.

“I think it can be a tough group, a physical group, a competitive group, but where we’re lacking is experience,” offensive coordinator Kevin Bourgoin said of the wide receivers.

Among those looking to take a big leap forward are Micah Wright and Jaleel Reed, each of whom caught three passes last season, while Aultman and Williams combined for 64 catches, 672 yards and five touchdowns.

Advertisement

Wright was impressive enough as a true freshman to work his way onto the field, catching a touchdown pass at Boston College. But the 6-foot-1, 200-pounder out of Newark, New York, injured his shoulder on a punt return in Week 5 at Towson and was lost for the season. He will get that year back, however, as he still qualified for a medical redshirt because he played in only three games.

“It was crazy to think that a couple of months ago I was running track in high school and now I’m catching touchdowns at Boston College,” Wright said of his 11-yard scoring reception.

“I was starting to establish myself as a player. (The injury) was unfortunate. I was just learning all the intangibles of being a Division I athlete.”

Bourgoin said Wright is the most skilled wide receiver on the team. He is a terrific route runner who uses his body well to shield defenders. He has decent speed, although nowhere near the acceleration of Aultman and Williams. But Wright has been inconsistent in spring practices, which conclude next Saturday.

“He’s been the best guy on offense one day, and the next day he’s wearing a gray shirt, which means he didn’t have a very good day,” Bourgoin said. “He needs to show up every single day.”

Reed played quarterback and defensive back at West Catholic High School in Philadelphia. He only played in four games as a wide receiver, but his gifts were apparent enough to draw Maine’s attention.

Advertisement

Reed redshirted his first year, then gradually worked his way into the lineup last year, finishing with three catches for 24 yards.

“I played when I was ready to play. My coaches knew,” Reed said. “I had to learn how to get off a press, how to run a route, how to catch with my eyes, how to finish with my eyes.

“There’s a huge opportunity here now. When I step to the line I don’t want to have any delays. I want to stay on point, be sharp. If I get better at running a post on Monday, on Tuesday, I don’t want to step back and just be OK. I want to be better every day.”

Bourgoin said Reed may be the best athlete among the wide receivers. At 6-0, 205 pounds, he can leap 36 inches. But he isn’t yet a polished route-runner, and he needs to recognize the wide variety of coverages he will see at the college level.

“He has a knack for making big plays,” Bourgoin said. “The intricacies of playing the position are new to him. The focus is, don’t be raw. This isn’t what I call street ball. This is you’re playing receiver at big-time, big-boy Division I football.”

Wright and Reed will have plenty of competition. Jared Osumah had 13 catches for 128 yards as a freshman. Jordan Dunn, who is out this spring because of a knee injury, will provide the lone veteran presence after catching 33 passes for 282 yards and three touchdowns as a sophomore. In Friday’s practice, John Hardy of Portland and Matt Cosgrove of Bangor were the best receivers. Hardy will be a senior in the fall, and Cosgrove, the head coach’s son, will be a sophomore.

Maine has lost four running backs from a year ago after Isaiah Jones tore an ACL in practice last Friday. He will need surgery and will miss the 2015 season. Nigel Jones, last year’s starter when the season began, has had his career end after a series of concussions (as has guard Chase Hoyt). Jerickson Fedrick and Vassili Grigorakos have left the program.

That leaves Nigel Beckford as the lone experienced tailback. He came to Maine last year as a walk-on and quickly established himself, starting six games and leading the team with 471 rushing yards.

Darian Davis-Ray, a redshirt freshman, was injured and missed the 2014 season. There’s a chance he’ll be healthy enough to contribute in the fall. In the meantime, Sacoy Malone and Darius Benders are backing up Beckford. Incoming freshman Terry Loper is highly regarded and could play right away.


Only subscribers are eligible to post comments. Please subscribe or login first for digital access. Here’s why.

Use the form below to reset your password. When you've submitted your account email, we will send an email with a reset code.