Who Is Going to Catch the Ball in Houston?

There is a lot of attention being paid to the quarterbacks this spring in Houston, but there’s another position almost as important for fans to place their focus.

New head coach Tom Herman is well-known for his work with quarterbacks, especially at Ohio State. Now that he’s in Houston, Herman inherits a bit of a quarterback quandary and controversy.

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There’s incumbent Greg Ward, Jr. who took over as signal caller half-way through last season with some success. Then there’s Adam Schulz, the Utah transfer who came to UH hoping to land a full-time starting job.

So let’s assume Herman knows what he’s doing and is molding these two quarterbacks to run his system.

Now who the heck are they going to throw the ball to?

Last year’s leading receiver Deontay Greenberry declared for the NFL Draft after a 72-catch junior season that landed him on the AAC All-Conference Second Team. He was without a doubt Ward’s favorite target. Speaking of Ward, he is a converted wide receiver; so there’s another pass-catching target to replace.

There are currently 18 wide receivers listed on the roster, but numbers don’t equal experience.

The two returning candidates to step up at wide out are Demarcus Ayers (who caught 2 touchdowns in the team’s first spring scrimmage) and Markeith Ambles. Between the two of them they caught 65 passes and six touchdowns last season. Greenberry himself hauled in more balls and scored as many touchdowns. Also look for the name Chance Allen. He is an Oregon transfer, and a Texas native, who saw some time on the field for the Ducks.

Herman’s first recruiting class also included Devin Smith out of River Ridge, Louisiana, and Terry Mark from Lufkin, Texas. Both were speedsters in high school, especially Smith who won a state track championship in the 4X400 relay.

Then there are the tight ends. Houston didn’t have one on its roster a year ago, and Herman wanted to make sure that doesn’t happen again. The coach said right away the tight end would play a role in his offense. One of the tight ends is last year’s backup long snapper. Herman also brought in 6-foot-5, 255 pound Rusty Clark out of Peal River Community College in Mississippi.

Running backs Ryan Jackson (who is #2 in receptions among returning players from 2014) and Kenneth Farrow both caught at least 20 passes last season, but it’s unclear how the running backs will be used in Herman’s system. Last year at Ohio State, leading rusher Ezekiel Elliot caught 28 passes, with 7 of them coming in one game against Indiana.

You can see the potential problem here. Now, how big of a problem this is could depend on who is behind center. Adam Schulz is a more-polished quarterback, in the traditional sense, with more experience going through progressions and reading routes. Ward is going through trial by fire. Last season some of his success depended on throwing the ball up for Greenberry to catch it. Just watch the Armed Forces Bowl if you need proof of that.

No matter what happens, and who is playing quarterback, this will be a position battle to keep a close eye on this spring and into fall camp; because the “quarterback whisperer” can’t be that effective if there’s no talent there to catch the ball.