Liberty wide receiver coach Maurice Harris says his position unit has the most quality depth of any position on offense, and it may be the case for the entire team. The Flames have a lot of top end talent in the unit led by Antonio Gandy-Golden, as well as plenty of young and talented receivers.
Frontrunners
X 11 Antonio Gandy-Golden SR 6’4″ 220
We all know about AGG. He’s the most likely candidate to be Liberty’s first NFL draft pick since Walt Aikens was selected in the 4th round in 2014. He’s only the second player in program history to post back-to-back 1,000 receiving yard seasons. With a very pedestrian (for AGG) year of 55 receptions for 753 receiving yards and 5 touchdowns, AGG will break the career marks in each of those categories currently held by Darrin Peterson.
WR Coach Maurice Harris – “I think he could definitely play with some of those guys at Ole Miss. He’s a very physical receiver. He attacks the ball. He competes at a high level. He reminds me of D.K. Metcalf, not as fast as D.K., but the way they practice and play and compete and are inquisitive – both of those guys are very, very inquisitive people, wanting to know what’s going on in every situation and I think that’s what makes him so good.”
SLOT 7 Damian King R-SR 5’11” 175
King is entering his 5th year with the program after redshirting in 2018 as he played in just 3 games due to an injury. Even in just 3 games, King finished with 12 receptions for 226 yards and 2 touchdowns. If he’s able to remain healthy, he’s been dealing with some injuries during camp, King has proven he is capable of taking the ball the distance on any given play.
Z 81 Noah Frith R-FR 6’4″ 180
Frith is a bit of a surprise to be listed among the group of frontrunners, but he has emerged with the first team during camp. He played in 4 games last year but was still able to redshirt.
WR Coach Maurice Harris – “The thing that stands out the most about Noah is he is a competitor. He works his behind off every single play. He’s a lot like AGG from a standpoint of he wants to know not just what he is supposed to do, but what is going on with everybody and how his piece of the puzzle affects the whole entire play. He’s a pretty good athlete, I think he had a vertical of 38 inches. So, he can go up and grab those 50-50 balls. We want them to be more like 75-25 on our end.”
Competition
Khaleb Coleman
X 17 Khaleb Coleman R-SO 6’2″ 205
Coleman started 3 games a season ago when Liberty’s receiving corps was decimated by injury. He finished the year with 11 receptions for 126 yards. During camp, he’s fighting to hold off true freshman CJ Yarbrough for AGG’s backup.
X 13 CJ Yarbrough FR 6’3″ 195
Yarbrough is currently “2b” behind AGG and Coleman. He’s a long body receiver from North Alabama who also had offers from Jacksonville State, South Alabama, Troy, and Virginia.
SLOT 5 DJ Stubbs JR 5’9″ 185
Stubbs exploded onto the scene in 2018, starting 5 games and finishing 2nd with 50 receptions for 631 yards. He stepped right in when Damian King went down with injury, and with King battling an injury again during camp, expect Stubbs to get plenty of opportunities once again.
SLOT 1 Shedro Louis FR 5’8″ 175
Coach Freeze and his staff got on Shedro as soon as they got on campus and were able to bring the shifty receiver into the fold during the December signing period. He joined the Flames during the spring and really wowed those in attendance for the spring game.
WR Coach Maurice Harris – “In the spring, I don’t think the first guy has tackled him yet. He does a really good job.”
SLOT 9 Demario Douglas FR 5’8″ 165
Douglas would be the ideal candidate to benefit from the new redshirt rule. He’s very talented and could get some playing time, but with three other very capable slot receivers in front of him it may be best if he saves his year of eligibility.
Z 2 Kevin Shaa R-JR 5’10” 165
Shaa is backing up Noah Frith right now. He also had a very productive spring game. Shaa was a JUCO transfer that played in 4 games before redshirting. He finished with 3 receptions for 52 yards last year.
Z 84 JT Wood SO 6’2″ 200
Wood was the biggest benefactor of Liberty’s injury problems that plagued the receivers in 2018. As a true freshman, he was originally going to redshirt but ended up seeing playing time in 7 games.
