Gone to eligibility is the ISU receiving core of Lane Danielsen, Jack Whitver, Lance Young, Jamaul Montgomery and David Banks-Bursey. With them went 433 career receptions, 6,373 yards and 37 touchdowns.

“We’re solid right now; we’re not as good as we were last year at this stage, but that doesn’t mean we won’t be by September,” ISU head football coach Dan McCarney said.

McCarney said the Cyclones are making progress toward putting a receiving unit together that fans will enjoy watching develop throughout the next couple of seasons.

“I’m real impressed with Todd Blythe,” McCarney said. “Jon Davis has been inconsistent, but he’s got a lot of potential. Andy Kohler’s come off an [anterior cruciate ligament] injury and is doing some good things. Todd Miller is very undersized as a player, but he gives you everything he’s got.”

Blythe, a 6-foot-5, 200-pound redshirt freshman from Indianola, appears to be the future of the Cyclone wide receivers.

“Regardless what formation we’re in, Todd Blythe’s one of the starters,” McCarney said. “He’s shown me enough this spring [that] he’ll be a starter for us, and there’s no reason he won’t be a starter the next four years.”

Miller, a redshirt junior, will be one of the few faces of experience at wideout for Iowa State, having made one reception last season. Miller has seen most of his action on special teams as the Cyclone punt returner, but said he is excited to see time as a wide receiver.

“I don’t really have a preference [between special teams and wide receiver],” Miller said. “But I’m pretty interested in getting on the field as a wide receiver, and I’m looking forward to that.”

At 5-foot-7 and 173 pounds, Miller said there are both upsides and downsides to his size.

“Some advantages are just being quick and using my feet and my eyes,” Miller said. “But [a disadvantage would be] sometimes not being as physical as the guy across from me. But heart maybe takes the place of that.”

With the addition of new offensive coordinator Barney Cotton, spring practice has become even more of a learning experience, with a whole new offense in the works.

“It’s been a learning experience with the new offense and things,” Miller said. “We’ve got a young group of guys and it’s kind of like I’m the old guy now and helping out the young guys, but they’re also helping me along the way — we’re learning a lot from each other.”

From his days on the scout team, Blythe said the transition from the old offense to the new offense wasn’t as difficult for him as for most of his teammates.

“I’m sure the guys like Todd Miller, Andy Kohler and even Davis have a lot more trouble picking up the offense, because they had the old offense down,” Blythe said. “I didn’t know what was going on last year for the most part, so it was all going to be new for me anyway, so I’m really picking it up pretty good so far.”

The Cyclones will bring in a possible five recruits at the wide receiver position.

Terrance Highsmith, a junior college transfer, told the ISU coaching staff he wanted a shot at quarterback, but McCarney said not to be surprised to see him at wideout.

“We’re going to make a decision real early with [Highsmith],” McCarney said. “If he doesn’t have a shot to play at quarterback, we’re moving him real quick to wide receiver. He’s got speed, quickness, athleticism and a great personality. I’m not going to put him out there to be a No. 2 or No. 3 quarterback if he can be a starter at wide receiver.”

McCarney said spring is the time when many of the imperative decisions are made for next fall.

“This is our last week, and it’s a real important week for all these kids. We’re going to get a half a scrimmage in [Monday], practice Wednesday and a light practice on Friday and then the spring game on Saturday,” McCarney said. “Then we make final decisions on No. 1, No. 2, No. 3. Are they role guys? Are they swing guys? Are they starters?”

Miller said this year’s Cyclones are a much different group than last year’s 2-10 team.

“We’re going to be more physical and a more fundamentally sound football team,” Miller said. “These coaches are working hard, and these football players are working hard, because we don’t want to have the disappointment we had last year.”