We continue our look of Liberty’s offensive position groups today with a preview of the wide receivers.
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Tight Ends
Quarterbacks
There are plenty of question marks at wide receiver for Liberty entering the 2023 campaign, perhaps more so than at any other position on the team. This is due to the loss of Demario Douglas and others through the portal. The Flames attempted to fill some of those holes, but were dealt a blow with the offseason loss of Reese Smith and Victor Jones to season ending knee injuries. Now, Liberty must rely on a few familiar names and several new ones.
“Wide receivers have been getting better,” Liberty WR Coach Tony Washington said. “Obviously, it’s an inexperienced group. A lot of guys who haven’t played. We’ve had a lot of really good receivers who have played here, the latest being Demario Douglas. Guys will need to step up and take a larger role.”
Washington explained that he wouldn’t be surprised if the receiver room was a position by committee without any one primary leader in the group. Each player has a specific set of strengths, and the coaching staff will be looking for ways to put each of them into positions to succeed and showcase their abilities.
Frontrunners
WR 4 CJ Daniels JR 6’2″ 200
Daniels is someone Liberty must count on this year. He has the potential and ability to step into that WR1 role the team desperately needs. He’s shown flashes of that level of talent throughout the early part of his career. After suffering an ACL tear on the first day of spring practice a year ago, Daniels is now about 17 months removed from that injury. He should be back to full speed after being held back to just four games in 2022 to preserve his year of eligibility.
WR 5 Noah Frith SR 6’4″ 205
Frith is a big body receiver on the outside that will be counted on this fall. He has the potential to be very good at this spot but injuries have plagued him throughout much of his career. If he can stay healthy this season, Frith could have a breakout year for the Flames.
WR Coach Tony Washington on Daniels and Frith- “I think they’re doing well. CJ and Noah are both big leaders in that room, that’s been good to see. They’ve been relatively healthy, obviously it’s football, there are nicks and bruises and everybody’s sore, but both of them are doing really well, playing at a high level. I hope to see that continue into the season.”
WR 9 Elijah Smoot SR 6’0″ 180
Coming in from UT-Martin, Smoot reminds me a bit of Caleb Snead who transferred to Liberty from Campbell a year ago. They are a different style of wide receiver as Snead was 6’4″ and Smoot is more likely to play in the slot, but both had very productive careers at the FCS level and have come to Liberty looking to make a name for themselves at the FBS level. It didn’t work out as hoped for Snead, primarily due to injury, but Smoot is hopeful to help offset the loss of Douglas and Smith in the slot and provide a valuable weapon to the Flames’ offensive attack.
WR Coach Tony Washington – “EJ Smoot is having a great camp, being really consistent.”
Competition
WR 6 Errol Rogers, Jr JR 5’11” 195
Rogers transferred to Liberty from Louisiana prior to spring practice. He was slowed some during those workouts due to an injury, but has returned to a full go this fall. Rogers will be counted on by the team this season.
WR Coach Tony Washington – “He knows what to do. He’s another guy that has a pretty good grasp on the offense this early. I think he’s going to be a guy that we can depend on, lean on. Third down and you need a guy to catch the football, he has really strong hands. He plays physical. He knows the game inside and out. He played quarterback, so he sees the game from a different standpoint. I think that’s been a good thing as well.”
WR 14 Kylen Austin SO 6’0″ 165
Austin is a young receiver in the room who began his career at Liberty. He hasn’t seen much playing time to this point in his career, but that is expected to change this season. Austin impressed the coaching staff in the spring, especially with his speed. If he can take that next jump in consistency on the field, we should hear his named called plenty in 2023.
WR Coach Tony Washington – “Kylen Austin is a young player who has showed a lot of flash. Obviously, he’s still got some stuff to learn. He’s still developing and growing, but I think he can be really good with the ball in his hands.”
WR 81 Markel Fortenberry R-FR 6’4″ 205
Fortenberry is still probably a year or so away from having a major impact on the field, but with his size he could force his way into some packages this fall. He came into the program with incredible upside, and it is likely only a matter of time before that matriculates onto the field, whether it is this season or some other time in the future.
WR Coach Tony Washington – “I think Markel Fortenberry, these past few practices, has really started to turn it on. He’s a big body, playing big. With him, it’s always about playing fast and physical because he has the tools. It’s just developing that mindset. I think he can be that guy.”
WR 82 Aaron Bedgood SR 5’8″ 165
Bedgood was a late addition to the roster this summer, transferring from Coastal Carolina. He had given up football, despite having a year of eligibility remaining, and had entered the workforce. That changed when his former head coach gave him a call and asked him to use his COVID year of eligibility to help solidify the position. Bedgood knows the offensive system and coaching staff, and he should be able to provide leadership and depth for the Flames in 2023.
WR Coach Tony Washington – “The biggest thing AB brings is just his knowledge. Having played in the offense for 4-5 years, he knows it inside and out. When I first got to Coastal in 2020, he had already been there a year or two. He was teaching me. He’s a guy you can depend on to be that coach on the field. I think he’s brought that personality we need in this room. He’s a guy that’s a little more edge, a little more serious to it because he’s been through it. He brings a little bit of that maturity and older presence we need in that room of young guys.”
WR 21 Treon Sibley SR 6’0″ 210
Sibley has seen his playing time increase in each of the past couple of seasons at receiver in the Liberty offense. He is now a veteran and brings tremendous experience to the position.
WR Coach Tony Washington – “Treon, he’s doing a really good job. He’s doing some things, battling some nicks and scrapes. He’s been really good. He’s played much better this camp than he did in the spring, that was good to see as he develops and gets better and does more.”
Depth
(INJURED) WR 19 Reese Smith JR 5’10” 190
The West Virginia transfer was expected to be one of the team’s top targets this year. I expected him to lead the team in receptions, but that was all before he went down to a knee injury in the summer, causing him to miss the season.
(INJURED) WR 18 Victor Jones, Jr. FR 6’2″ 200
Jones transferred to Liberty from Nebraska, but he also suffered a season ending knee injury this summer. He has tremendous upside, but the Flames must wait another year before being able to see how that will matriculate to the field.
WR 11 Darius Copeland FR 6’0″ 190
Copeland was a late addition to the 2023 signing class this summer. He is a talented and shifty receiver who went under-recruited and seemingly fell through the cracks after suffering an injury his senior year of high school. The coaching staff is very high on him and expect him to be a play-maker at some point for the Flames, but it is likely he uses this year to get back to full speed before we see him as part of the weekly rotation at receiver.
