Young wide receivers, like freshman Gebhart, getting their chances for Bison football team

FARGO - There are six wide receivers on the field this spring for the North Dakota State football program. Their combined receptions in a college game equal the number of days this spring where a flood hasn't been a subject of conversation.

Zero.

So a freshman like Trevor Gebhart from Sioux Falls, S.D., does not have the luxury of relying on a returning productive veteran to show him the way. Senior Warren Holloway, sidelined this spring to rehabilitate a knee injury, is doing his best in street clothes.

But he's also not running routes in pads. It's mostly a youthful group that is, and Bison assistant coach for receivers Kenni Burns had some advice for them the first day.

"He said, 'You can't make excuses just because you're a young group,' " Gebhart said. "Everyone else has an older guy and we don't have that benefit. And that's something we have to overcome and we can't use as a crutch for the future."

Gebhart, Zach Vraa and Tevin Pittman are freshmen. Ryan Smith, a converted running back, and Cooper Wahlo Jr. are sophomores and Reed Duchscher is a junior.

"Every day when we break it down as a group with the receivers and coach Burns, we always say 'together' on three," Gebhart said. "That's something we truly believe in and we all feel that if we can do this together, it will help us not being 'that freshman.'"

Gebhart was on pace to play as a true freshman during practice last August, Burns said. But a separated shoulder dented that thought.

"A lot goes into pulling a redshirt," Gebhart said. "The timing of when I hurt my shoulder, I would say I probably was not quite at that point. But to say if I would have been or would not have been in a couple of weeks if I had not hurt it - I couldn't tell you."

He's got the size at 6-foot-1 and 190 pounds. Burns said his 40 time is around 4.5 seconds if not lower. At Sioux Falls Washington, he was a South Dakota state champion in the 200 meters.

He has the credentials, with 70 receptions for 1,239 yards and 14 touchdowns his last two years at Washington, one of which was a 13-0 state title season.

If there was an official depth chart after one week of spring football, Gebhart quite possibly would be a starter.

"I can remember having conversations with the guys throughout winter workouts and saying we can't wait to get spring ball going," he said. "They all responded with the same thing, so we're all in agreement on that."

Forum reporter Jeff Kolpack can be reached at (701) 241-5546.

Kolpack's NDSU media blog can be found

at www.areavoices.com/bisonmedia