SDSU’S YOUNG RECEIVERS : Santos’ NCAA Record Depends on New Targets

Alfred Jackson knows that if Todd Santos throws the ball, someone has to catch it.

“We’re going after everything,” said Jackson, a San Diego State wide receiver. “We don’t want to drop any passes.”

Jackson’s statement may seem obvious, but it probably needs to be made. As San Diego State prepares for its 1987 season, the focus is mainly on senior quarterback Santos, who has a chance to break the NCAA career passing record of 10,623 yards set last year by Kevin Sweeney of Fresno State. Santos, who has 7,493 career yards, needs to average 261 a game to break the record.

Virtually overlooked has been a crop of young, untested wide receivers on whom Santos will rely.

Jackson, a 20-year-old junior, didn’t start a game last year and caught 18 passes for 256 yards and four touchdowns during the season. Yet he is the most experienced of the pack, and he and sophomore Monty Gilbreath are the only current receivers to catch a pass in an Aztec game.

“I wasn’t a big target last year,” said Gilbreath, 18, who caught just four passes for 76 yards in the 1986 regular season.

Wide receivers in general weren’t big targets for the Aztecs last year. The team’s top three receivers were fullback Corey Gilmore, All-American tight end Rob Awalt and halfback Chris Hardy, followed by receivers Kenny Moore, Anthony Conyers and Brett Blanchard. None are with the team this year.

But Coach Denny Stolz isn’t worried about lost personnel. Although his new receivers are young, he expects to use them even more than last year’s seniors.

“We had a tight end All-American (last year), so we featured him quite a bit,” said Stolz. The difference this year is personnel, he added. “We’re better at receiver positions than tight end. This is the fastest group of receivers we’ve had.”

Stolz plans to use three or four receivers in a game and hopes to have a total of five or six “quality receivers” on which he can rely.

Stolz expects Gilbreath and Jackson to be the starting receivers in the team’s opening game against UCLA on Sept. 5 at the Rose Bowl. He pointed out that each finished last season on a strong note in the Holiday Bowl against Iowa.

Jackson caught two passes for long gains, a 44-yard reception for a touchdown and a 45-yard leaping catch to set up a field goal.

“J.J.’s our best long-ball threat,” Stolz said about Jackson, called “J.J.” because he wears goggles and reminds the coach of former Charger John Jefferson, who wore similar eye wear.

Gilbreath had a chance to play in the Holiday Bowl because Conyers, a senior, tested positive for cocaine the week before the game. Gilbreath caught five passes for 87 yards and a touchdown.

“That gave me a boost of confidence,” Gilbreath said. “Up to that point, I didn’t have a lot of confidence in myself.”

Both Jackson and Gilbreath seem to have confidence now. Jackson attributes that to Stolz.

“My first year we won only five games, and everyone seemed satisfied,” Jackson said. “But when Coach Stolz came (in 1986), winning was fun. He made us believe we could do it. He made the seniors believe.”

Jackson said Stolz encouraged the seniors to be leaders for the rest of the team. Though he is only a junior, Jackson is prepared to step into a leadership role this season.

“We have a lot of young players, a lot of junior college transfers,” Jackson said. “Someone should take the leadership.”

Gilbreath also expects to be able to help newer players because of his game experience, limited though it is.

“I think I have to assume a leadership role,” he said. “But I’m not going to be Mr. Know Everything.”

Though Jackson (6-feet 1-inch and 185 pounds) and Gilbreath (5-9, 170 pounds) have the inside track on starting, both remain modest about their ability. They prefer to compliment each other, rather than discuss their own abilities.

“You want to see someone that’s good, you should see Alfred,” Gilbreath said. “I don’t see why he’s not the best wide receiver in the league. He’s got the physical talents and the mental talents.”

But Jackson, who says he runs 40 yards in 4.5 seconds, seems to disagree.

“I’d say I’m an average receiver,” he said. “We’ve got a lot of good receivers on the team, like Monty. Monty can catch anything. I’m still getting there.”

Jackson, from Tulare, Calif., came to SDSU as a defensive back. Though Jackson was the only freshman to letter in 1985, Stolz switched him to wide receiver in the spring of 1986. Jackson initially objected to the switch but is comfortable now.

During the summer, Jackson went home and worked out with Santos in Selma, Calif., which is near Tulare.

“I feel Todd and I work together well,” Jackson said. “I feel he knows where I’ll be. . . . But I still have things to learn.”

The other Aztec receivers have even more to learn. There are three sophomores--Dennis Arey, Ron Evans and Jimmy Raye--who were on last year’s roster but did not play.

The team also has five community college transfers in the wide receiver position. Of that group, Stolz said Robert Claiborne from Southwestern College and Randy Peterson from Santa Monica Community College have excelled in practice.

“They’ve been very consistent early on,” Stolz said. “They have great speed and catching ability and have challenged the defense.”

At Southwestern, Claiborne had 62 receptions for 1,111 yards and 7 touchdowns. He led the Mission Conference in all-purpose yards and was a community college All-State and All-American selection. Peterson caught 38 passes for more than 500 yards and 7 touchdowns at Santa Monica.

During the summer, Claiborne worked out with Santos at SDSU, and he believes he is learning the system quickly.

“I just want to contribute greatly to the offense, both as a receiver and on special teams,” he said.

The other community college transfers are Michael Broome, who had 55 receptions for 710 yards and 17 touchdowns during his two years at Chabot Community College in Hayward, Calif.; DeAngelo Mitchell, who had 71 receptions for 1,033 yards and 14 touchdowns at Mesa College, and Tony Nettles who caught 50 passes for 1,100 yards at El Camino Community College in Torrance.

“The whole group is very talented,” Stolz said.

And not to be forgotten is Patrick Rowe. Stolz expects Rowe, a Parade All-American wide receiver from Lincoln High, to make the depth chart eventually, but the highly recruited freshman will remain an unknown for a few more weeks. On Aug. 1, Rowe (6-1, 180 pounds), who caught 53 passes for 1,176 yards and 14 touchdowns his senior year, broke his collarbone during the Los Angeles Shrine All-Star Game. He is expected to be ready to practice in one or two weeks and until then is staying as involved as possible in the team’s two-a-day practices.

“I’m very disappointed,” Rowe said. “But I’m learning the plays and catching with one hand to help with my concentration.”

Santos doesn’t seem bothered by working with the young receivers.

“We worked together last spring, and now we’re polishing up our routes and communication,” he said. “We have a lot more speed this year and a lot of depth. I think they all could play.”

No one at Aztec practice seems to be stressing Santos’ shot at the NCAA record as a goal.

“We’re not going to change anything (because of the record),” Santos said.