With the offense losing players such as Chris Relf and Vick Ballard, many fans have turned their attention to the new stars of 2012. Joe Morrow, a redshirt freshman wide receiver, has taken center stage in the fascinations of many Bulldog fans.
One can hardly blame them. The kid has the prototypical NFL receiver build. He stands a bit over 6' 4", and he weighs in over 200 pounds. With Morrow, Bulldog fans have someone with the size of a possession receiver, but the speed of a homerun threat. Morrow compares well with Larry Fitzgerald who stands 6'3" and weighs 215 pounds. Calvin Johnson stands 6'5" and weighs 236 pounds.
The Bulldogs will look to put the ball in the air more with Tyler Russell as the trigger man of the offense. Two things have to happen for this to work. The offensive line has to gel this year, and the receivers must be able to beat their men. So far, question marks remain on both of these issues, but if Chad Bumphis, Arceto Clark or others fail to impress early, they may find themselves permanently behind Morrow.
The list of great MSU wide receivers does not talk long to read. We all know about Eric Moulds and his abilities. Mardye McDole still stands as the all time leader in receiving yards. Justin Jenkins had a good run at MSU. Morrow has everything needed to join this list.
If anyone is going to break McDole's record in the near future, it will be Morrow. All he has to do is average 575 yards per season. With solid line play and a steady quarterback, Morrow should average that and more before he leaves Starkville.