UW football: Toon itching to play, prove he deserves to be in mix at receiver
Nick Toon held a play sheet as he stood 15 yards behind the line of scrimmage Tuesday night at Camp Randall Stadium. The freshman wide receiver for the University of Wisconsin football team would watch his teammates on offense run a play, then look down at the sheet for a brief study session before the next snap.
Mental reps, they're called. And there's nothing particularly exciting about them, particularly for a young player like Toon who is itching to get on the field and prove to the coaching staff that he deserves playing time in the fall.
Toon, who redshirted last season, has been sidelined the last three weeks with a hamstring injury. He finally returned to practice Tuesday, but only participated in individual work.
Like the others on a long UW injury list, the healing process has been an aggravating one for Toon.
"It's just tough being out there and not being able to play," said Toon, a former Middleton standout whose father, Al, was a standout wide receiver for the Badgers in the 1980s. "After redshirting, this was a chance to show what I can do. Having the injury was just another obstacle, but everything happens for a reason."
Toon has tried to be a diligent observer during practice. One of his main goals was to come out of the five-week spring session feeling comfortable with the offense. The injury didn't help matters, although Toon said the mental reps have been "very valuable."
"At this point, the mental part is the most difficult to process," added Toon, who has bulked up to 220 pounds and has the potential with his 6-foot-3 frame to be a big target over the middle. "I'm just trying to learn the playbook and understand what we're trying to do. It's helpful, but at the same time it's frustrating because I can't be out there."
Toon isn't expected to play during Saturday's intrasquad scrimmage at Camp Randall Stadium. Neither is Kyle Jefferson, who needed stitches in his right knee after falling while running in his dormitory hallway earlier this week. Xavier Harris, who has missed time with a back injury, is also questionable.
Even without those three, there are plenty of intriguing prospects to keep an eye on during Saturday's game.
Isaac Anderson and David Gilreath have been the most consistent performers this spring, and Maurice Moore has come on late and was singled out by UW coach Bret Bielema recently.
Dropped passes were a major issue this spring, with Jefferson and Daven Jones being the biggest culprits.
"It's always concentration," said UW wide receivers coach DelVaughn Alexander. "There have been a lot of drops. We've been trying to address those. It's 100 percent concentration and focusing on the ball."
Even though consistency has been an issue, Alexander likes what he sees in terms of potential from the receiving corps.
It is a young and mostly inexperienced group. Jefferson led all wide receivers and was third on the team with 26 receptions as a true freshman last season. The rest of the returning wide receivers had a combined four receptions in 2007; Harris had two, while Gilreath and Jones had one apiece.
Anderson had five receptions as a freshman two seasons ago before redshirting last season with a hamstring injury.
The good thing about the spring is the ability to experiment. For example, Jefferson and Anderson were paired together at times despite the fact both normally play the "Z" wide receiver position.
"Our positions aren't defined," Alexander said. "It's important the guys have an understanding of what we want to do as a system and then go from there. We just want the best players on the field."
jpolzin@madison.com
File photo/Michelle Stocker/The Capital Times
UW receiver Nick Toon, shown in this August 2007 file photo, wants to prove himself to his coaches.
