[autotag]Shane Hooks[/autotag] was Jackson State’s leading receiver last season, so it came as a surprise to learn that he elected to transfer to Auburn instead of following his former coach, Deion Sanders, to Colorado.
Hooks reeled in 66 catches for 775 yards and ten touchdowns last season at Jackson State, and he has already given Auburn fans a taste of his playmaking ability. Will he be added to the list of great wide receivers coached by Hugh Freeze by season’s end? He has potential, but there is one aspect of his game that Freeze hopes to see improvement in.
“I wish he played the game a little faster. We’ve got to get him to do that. I think some of that comes from maybe not playing against the speed of this level yet,” Freeze said. “If we can get him convinced to run every route and knowing, ‘Dude, you can get a break. Run this route like the game depends upon it.’ I think that’s the case, truthfully, with a lot of our transfer receivers.”
When it comes to receivers, Freeze has a type. His best receivers at Ole Miss were 6-3 or taller. As for Hooks, he stands 6-4, which fits the mold of what Freeze looks for in a receiver.
“I think you have to have a catch radius in this league,” Freeze said. “You’re not going to create tremendous separation in this league when they’re in man-to-man situations all the time.”
Wide receivers coach [autotag]Marcus Davis[/autotag] says that he likes Hooks’ ability to win 50-50 balls and that he is a physical player.
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