Baylor Football 2015 Position Previews: Inside Receivers

Last year, I divided up the IRs/WRs rather than keep them together, and I think that worked out pretty well.  So we're going to do that again today.

Before we get to it, I need to mention that with the way Baylor rosters players now, there's a lot of guesswork involved in determining who is an inside vs. outside receiver.  I know we've talked about that before, but it's especially pronounced this year.  We have exactly 1 inside receiver listed on the latest roster. 1.  All the rest are listed as wide receivers, despite the fact that they will almost certainly not be.  That's where the guesswork comes in-- determining who should go where and why and blah blah blah.

As always, the heights/weights on this chart are taken directly from the roster.

Just a reminder from a couple of inches ago, the IR/WR distinction is fairly artificial in our offense and (especially) with our roster.  But it is useful to avoid having to do 100 WRs tomorrow.

Even still, the fact that I could only identify 5 IRs on this roster, one of which we're probably going to lose after this coming season to the NFL, gives me a little bit of pause for the future.  Sure, Cannon is amazing and I love Platt's potential, but the fact that there isn't a freshman redshirting in this group bothers me a bit.*

*Of course, maybe there is in JaMycal Hasty?

Anyway, here's Corey Coleman.

Corey Coleman -- JR -- #1 -- 5-11, 190 pounds

What more can you say about Coleman that hasn't already been said?  Almost inarguably our best receiver last year despite playing just 10 games, Coleman finally showed the potential we've all known was there, catching 64 passes for 1119 yards and 11 TDs.  Again, that was just 10 games, one of which was that incredible afternoon in Norman when he had 15 (!!) catches for 224 yards against the Sooners.  On the year, he also added 11 carries for 53 yards and a TD on the ground when we shifted into what was definitely my favorite offensive wrinkle from the 2014 season.

With his breakout year in the books, Coleman enters 2015 as the undisputed #1 WR on the Baylor roster.  He's the guy the ball is going to go to in big spots, and, considering he and Seth Russell have been together for 3 years now, he's likely the one Seth will lean on when the going gets tough.

Honestly, there really isn't that much more to say.  Coleman is a budding superstar in the CFB world that should pile up the stats this coming year.  He's going to get a ton of opportunities in Baylor's offense, and he'll also return punts.  Basically, if you liked Kendall Wright's last couple of years at Baylor, you're going to like Corey Coleman in 2015.  That about sums it up.

Lynx Hawthorne -- JR -- #84 -- 6-0, 200 pounds

Next on the list is the guy I've always considered Levi Norwood 2.0: Lynx Hawthorne.  Last we were told, he's slotted to start at IR opposite Cannon, where he'll try to fend off Chris Platt and, if the Post-Spring Depth Chart is to be believed, Davion Hall.  I didn't include Hall on this list because I don't really believe it.

With a grand total of 16 catches to his name so far, it's hard to know exactly what to expect from Hawthorne, should he win a starting role.  His best tool is reportedly his hands, something that gives him a ton of value in our offense, but He's got a little speed to him, as he showed in the FNL scrimmage this past spring...

We're not projecting Hawthorne's stats since I decided to keep the number of projectees lower this year, and if we were, I have no idea what I'd say.  He's got a big opportunity ahead of him considering the attention Coleman and Cannon should draw, to say nothing of Jay Lee, and the talent to take advantage.  But at the same time, can we be absolutely sure he'll start the entire year?  Another guy on our list may have something to say about that.

K.D. Cannon -- SO -- #9 -- 6-0, 175 pounds

If coming up with something to say about Coleman was hard, how about Cannon?  He burst onto the scene last year as possibly the best freshman receiver in the country with 58 catches for 1030 yards and 8 TDs, becoming the first Baylor freshman in history to top the 1,000-yard mark.  Now he's back as a sophomore with sky-high expectations and a starting spot locked down on the inside.

With Cannon, the story is pretty simple: speed. Regardless who Baylor played last year, we saw Cannon, as a freshman, simply run away from corners and safeties over and over again.  It didn't matter who they were, whether they were All-Americans for Michigan State or some JAG for Northwestern State, Cannon blew the top off one defense after another in a Tevin Reese-like manner. Here's one of those times:

The impact and importance a first-year QB like Seth Russell of having a pair of 1,000-yard returners in Coleman and Cannon cannot be understated.  I'm getting all giddy thinking about it.

Chris Platt -- RS-FR -- #18 -- 5-11, 175-pounds

Baylor fans should get to see all of the Four Horsemen of the Offensive Apocalypse (our 2014 WR recruiting class) take the field this year with Platt and Ishmael Zamora joining Cannon and Hall.  I've been pretty consistent in my description of Platt ever since he committed, and I see no reason to stray from it now.  With his track speed (he won the 400m at the state track meet in 2012) and impressive shiftiness, the question isn't if Platt will catch a ton of balls for the Bears; it's when.  Since we're on a bit of a gif binge right now, here's Platt in the FNL scrimmage:

That's good stuff.  We can work with that.

I'm not sure how much to expect of Platt this coming season since he's just a redshirt freshman and (as far as we know) not slated to start at this moment.  It may be a situation where he bides his time this year behind Cannon and Hawthorne, or it may not be.  Assuming we get stats and good coverage from it, tomorrow's first real scrimmage should tell us a lot about this and other questions.

Trevor White -- RS-FR -- 5-7, 160 pounds

I don't have any gifs of this diminutive redshirt freshman walk-on, but the fact that he's from Arlington is all I need to know that he's awesome (even if he did go to Martin).  My guess is that we don't see much of Mr. White this year, but that's just fine. He's already played more Baylor Football than (probably) you or (definitely) me.

*****

The top two of this particular group is as impressive as any in the country, but I have to be honest: I'm a little concerned about depth here.  I'm also concerned about not having any IRs in our current recruiting class, something that definitely needs to be a point of emphasis going forward.  Still, when you've got guys like Cannon and Coleman leading the way in a Briles offense, it's hard to imagine anything other than fireworks and touchdowns.