Last season, then-tight ends coach Courtney Messingham drilled starting tight end Collin Franklin and the other tight ends on the importance of becoming a security blanket for the quarterback. Franklin responded by leading the Cyclones with 54 catches and 530 receiving yards.

Now coaching the wide receivers, Messingham is preaching a similar message to the ISU receiving corps.

“You have to have wide receivers that the quarterback trusts and feels comfortable knowing that that guy is going to get open for me,” Messingham said. “If you have a ball coming to you, you need to go make a play so that the quarterback gets comfortable with you and trusts you.”

The Cyclones seem to be experienced at wide receiver, with a pair of seniors and a junior filling the top spots on the depth chart, but Messingham sees a young group that still has plenty of potential.

“People forget that we’re still pretty young at most of those spots,” Messingham said.

Seniors Darius Darks, Darius Reynolds and junior Josh Lenz accounted for only 32 percent of the catches last season, but the trio will be relied on more heavily, especially with the absence of Franklin.

“Anywhere on the field, anywhere they put me, anything they try to use me for, I just want to be a threat to the opposing team and their defensive coordinator and make them realize that we do have playmakers on our side,” Reynolds said.

As a 6-foot-2-inch, 206-pound target that snagged 25 catches for 283 yards and a pair of touchdowns last season, Messingham expects Reynolds to emerge as one of Iowa State’s featured receivers.

“We expect him to be a guy that the other team needs to figure out, ‘How do we slow him down?'” Messingham said.

Lenz has been limited in spring practice due to an ankle injury, but the Dubuque native will be relied on more this season in the passing game after making a name for himself as a returner during his first two seasons in Ames.

“[Lenz] needs to be a guy that we can get the ball to in any way possible. He’s got that ability to make plays, and he’s really done a nice job when he’s been able to practice,” Messingham said.

Making the biggest name for himself so far this spring has been the smallest receiver in the group in 5-foot-7-inch, 161-pound freshman Jarvis West. Reynolds admitted that the shifty West has been his favorite player to watch during spring practice.

“He’s real quick and he stays low to the ground,” Reynolds said. “He can just catch the ball. There will be like three people around him, and he’ll just turn around, make a move and get right back up the field. He’s exciting and real explosive.”

With only one pass completion of more than 50 yards throughout the last two seasons for the ISU offense, Messingham sees promise in junior college transfer Aaron Horne, with his ability to be dangerous as a big-play threat. Also ready to make his mark in the ISU passing game will be junior Donnie Jennert, who hopes that he’ll be able to use his 6-foot-7-inch, 216-pound frame to be a menace for opposing defenses.

“Aaron Horne with his speed and me with my height, we feel like we have weapons all over the field at wideout,” Jennert said.

One task for Messingham in his first year coaching the group will be getting them comfortable with making catches in game situations. Going into the season, no wide receiver on the roster has caught a pass in an ISU uniform outside of Darks, Reynolds and Lenz. Messingham feels confident the group’s hard work will transfer to on-field production in the fall.

“I’ve coached them a bunch over the years. The guys here work their tails off,” Messingham said. “We’ve got no problem with their desire to work and be better.”