Filling the void at wide receiver left by graduating seniors J.J. Moses and Chris Anthony will not be an easy task for the ISU coaching staff. During last season’s memorable 9-3 campaign, Moses and Anthony provided the big-play potential and sure-handedness at wide receiver that had been lacking in previous years. The senior duo also accounted for more than half of the team’s receptions, receiving yards and receiving touchdowns.

“It’s tough to replace guys like J.J. who just makes plays every time he touches the ball,” Jack Whitver said. “We just gotta step up and catch the ball and see what happens after that.”

Whitver, along with fellow returnees Craig Campbell, Lane Danielsen and Jamaul Montgomery are just some of the wide receivers in the ISU camp competing for a spot on the Cyclone depth chart.

“The competition’s been real good,” Danielsen said. “Going into spring nothing was really established [at receiver]. There’s been some guys that have really emerged like Jack Whitver, he’s really stepped it up for us, and the coaches have switched around the positions a little bit and tried different things here and there, but the competition’s been real good.”

Campell, a senior next season, has the most game experience of any returning receiver, having appeared in nine games last year while catching 20 passes for 353 yards and one touchdown.

Danielsen has the next most game experience, having played in seven games that saw him record five receptions for 153 yards and two scores last season. Danielsen, a sophomore to be eligibility-wise, had his biggest moment last season at Oklahoma State, where he caught the game-winning pass in the closing seconds of Iowa State’s 33-26 win over the Cowboys.

Whitver is undoubtedly the receiving corps biggest question mark – having only played in two games, with one catch for eight yards to his credit. Whitver, like Danielsen who redshirted his freshmen year, said he doesn’t think that the inexperience at wide receiver will hinder the team’s offensive success.

“We’ve been around, we’ve taken as many reps as anyone else,” Whitver said. “We just haven’t got the game experience. But we’ve got as many reps in practice and we’ll be young, but I think we’re gonna be all right.

Looking to deliver the ball to Iowa State’s wideouts is another untested member of the Cyclone passing game, newcomer Seneca Wallace.

“Seneca and Sage [Rosenfels] are similar in some ways, but there’s a lot of ways they’re different too,” Whitver said. “Seneca’s really catching on, he’s only had 11 practices to learn the offense, but he’s doing well so far.”

Regardless of their inexperience, Iowa State’s receivers have the attitude and work ethic to answer all questions on the minds of Cyclone fans who are pondering who else besides Ennis Haywood is going to provide some offense next season.

“We’re just trying to get better everyday out here,” Danielsen said. “We want to have a good spring game and get ready this summer for next season because its going to be here like that.”