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Spokane, Washington  Est. May 19, 1883

EWU spring football: Eagles’ receivers figure to adjust well

Kendrick Bourne, Shaq Hill, Cooper Kupp all return to help new QB settle in

This is the third of an eight-part series on spring football at Eastern Washington. Today: the wide receivers.
Eastern Washington’s wide receivers have proven it for years: There’s more than one route to success. But what if the route tree gets pruned a bit this year with the departure of Vernon Adams Jr.? “Then we’re going to have to work harder, run crisper routes and work harder at getting open faster,” junior Kendrick Bourne said. That figures to be the top priority this spring for the Eagle wideouts: adjusting to a new quarterback, whoever it is. If it’s Jordan West, they already have a head start thanks to West’s four starts last year when Adams was injured. Standing 6-foot-4 and blessed with a strong arm, West offers a big change from Adams, who extended plays with his feet and gave the receivers more time to get open. That window may be smaller with a pocket passer. “That’s Jordan’s strength: more big plays, more explosive plays,” said Bourne, who said his goal this year is to be an even bigger deep threat. Last year Bourne had 52 catches for 814 yards – good for a team-best 15.5 yards a catch – and 10 touchdowns. Another deep threat is senior Shaq Hill (52 catches for 756 yards and five touchdowns), who also returns kickoffs for the Eagles. Throw in promising sophomores Nic Sblendorio (23 catches, 311 yards), Terence Grady and Austin Flynn, plus several redshirt freshmen, and next year’s receiving corps looks every bit as potent as last year’s, despite the graduation of Cory Mitchell (31 catches, 398 yards, five TDs) and Blair Bomber (13 catches, 165 yards, three TDs). Then there’s junior Cooper Kupp, who followed one All-America season with another: 104 catches for 1,431 yards and 16 scores. With two seasons to play, Kupp already ranks sixth in school history with 197 career catches, and is 16 from moving into fifth on the career list. Kupp has 3,122 yards to rank fourth in school history, 208 yards from third-place Aaron Boyce. Kupp has 37 touchdown catches, including TDs in 24 of his 28 collegiate games. Kupp’s future looks bright, on and off the field. He gained a few pounds of muscle in the weight room, and hopes to help the younger receivers “understand the intricacies of our offense, learning what the quarterback is thinking.” If that quarterback is West, that’ll be a snap. “He’s been my best friend since I got here,” Kupp said. At the end of the school year, Kupp is getting married. Then he’ll be back for another season. “So I have that to look forward to,” Kupp said.
Coming Saturday: part four, the offensive line