With Seth Williams, Anthony Schwartz and Eli Stove gone the wide receiver room will look different on the Plains this fall.

And on the sideline, it will be Cornelius Williams and not Kodie Burns managing the wide receivers.

Even with all the departures, the wide receiver room remains stocked with talent.

Rising senior Shedrick Jackson has been unavailable for spring practice, making Kobe Hudson the most experienced receiver on the roster.

He’s impressed Williams.

“The thing with Kobe is that he is actually, in my opinion, a natural-born leader. He is a guy who is extremely strong. He works hard,” Williams said. “The thing that Kobe has to continue to do is continue to work on his craft, continue to get better, but he showed some flashes that he has the talents to be really, really special.”

Hudson recorded seven receptions for 70 yards during his 2020 freshman season.

Fellow rising sophomore Ze’Vian Capers also hauled in seven passes in 2020, but he’s limited during spring due to a foot injury suffered in the Citrus Bowl.

Ja’Varrius Johnson has been the focus of several coaches this spring, with both Bryan Harsin and Mike Bobo naming him as a spring standout.

Williams followed suit on Monday with high praise for the speedy slot receiver.

“I think with Ja’Varrius Johnson, one knock is going to be his size,” Williams said. “If you’ve got speed but have his size, the biggest thing is going to be that he’s going to be able to run and separate and get away from people.

Williams compared Johnson to J.J. Nelson, who he coached at UAB. Nelson is listed at 5-foot-10, 161 pounds and plays for the Colts after being selected in the 5th round of the 2015 draft.

“Once he continues to work on this game and just touch on the details of continuing to get better, that’s going to be a really, really big deal for him,” Williams said. “And us putting him in the right positions as well and not sending him in there to block a 6-5 or 6-3 linebacker, that’s crazy. At the same time putting him in situations that can create matchup problems for people and moving him around and doing a bunch of different things. I think that can definitely help us.”

A name Auburn fans likely hadn’t heard much of last year was Elijah Canion. That is, until he caught three passes for 80 yards and a touchdown in the Citrus Bowl.

Listed at 6-foot-4, 214 pounds, Canion projects as someone who can will in for the departed Seth Williams.

He’s been putting in the work to fill that role.

“With Canion, he’s done a really good job. That kid really works hard and busts his butt. He goes 100% when he’s out there,” Cornelius Williams said. “He’s a guy that, it really means a lot to him. He’s always asking me questions. Even before I came in here it was like ‘Hey coach what’s this or what’s that?’ We were literally talking before I came in here to talk to you guys. When a guy does that it means he cares. Those are the kinds of guys that we want to have in this program and of course in the receiver room. You want guys that want to learn, that love the game, that love football, that want to come over here and be coached up. That’s what I’ve seen out of him and the rest of the guys.”

Another receiver who’s gotten some first team reps this spring is Malcolm Johnson Jr. who was an early enrollee last fall. Johnson Jr. did not record a catch in 2020, but Williams projects him to have a role this year.

“I think with Malcolm, he was a speed guy coming out of high school. I think he will be a guy who will continue to develop and continue to get better as a receiver because, like I said, he came in just having really good overall speed,” Williams said. “I think he is going to be able to blow the top off and do some things, speed sweeps and moving him around, that is definitely going to help us out.”

Williams and his young receivers resumed spring practice on Monday with the seventh practice of spring. The team will hold 14 before A-Day, and a 15th after A-Day.

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