With spring practice under way, the UW coaching staff is getting its first look at the fall season’s receiving corps. So far, head coach Barry Alvarez and company like what they see.

“We really have some depth there and some quality,” Alvarez said.

Heading the depth chart is a pair of juniors, Brandon Williams and Jonathan Orr, who will look to reemerge as dominant players in the absence of the departed Lee Evans. Both players set UW freshman records during the 2002 campaign before taking a back seat to Evans this season, and each player is poised to reassume a major role in the fall.

After Evans suffered a season-ending injury in the 2002 Spring Game, Orr and Williams anchored the receiving corps. Orr set a UW freshman record with 842 receiving yards and Williams eclipsed the freshman receptions record with 52 catches.

This past season, Evans returned and the duo took on a decreased role. Williams responded well, posting 649 yards on 49 catches, but Orr struggled. The former freshman standout managed just seven catches for 117 yards, recording fewer receptions than fullback Matt Bernstein (8) and tight end Owen Daniels (15).

With Evans on his way to the NFL, Orr should once again see regular minutes and the former UW freshman of the year is primed to reestablish himself as one of Wisconsin’s top receivers.

“He understands the magnitude of what happened a year ago and in a perfect world he would come back, step in there and assume a bigger role in our offense,” wide receivers coach Henry Mason said. “He’s got an opportunity to be a very good player. He has proven that he can make plays for us on the field and he just needs to get that back.”

Evans’ graduation has provided an opening for another receiver to become the central figure in the Badgers’ aerial attack, creating tremendous competition for Orr and company during spring workouts.

“It’s an opportunity here,” Orr said. “It’s not sketched in stone yet, so everybody is fighting and it’s only making each receiver better.”

Williams currently stands atop the depth chart, but he has not yet participated in spring practices. Also absent from the spring workouts is senior Darrin Charles, who currently stands below Orr at the other receiver slot.

Though positioned below Orr on the depth chart, Charles recorded more than twice as many yards and receptions as Orr this season. The 6-foot-6 senior saw action in all 13 contests, posting 20 receptions for 310 yards and a pair of touchdowns.

With two of their top receivers unable to participate, the UW coaching staff has taken a look at a number of young receivers.

“The fact that Brandon [Williams] isn’t practicing and Darrin [Charles] isn’t practicing gives those other guys more reps and that will help some of the younger guys come along,” Alvarez said.

The absence of Williams and Charles has allowed junior Brandon White to showcase his talent. White has dazzled the coaching staff, making a serious bid for playing time.

“We’re still establishing the roles, but individually the receiver that has had the best spring to the halfway point is Brandon White,” Mason said. “I feel like he has settled in a little bit, he’s feeling comfortable and he’s doing a lot of good things out there. He brings a little personality to the table and I like that. I like what he’s been able to do in the spring.”

Though he caught just one pass for 17 yards during the 2003 season, White has demonstrated tremendous potential in the spring. Mason, who has coached the likes of Evans and Miami Dolphins wide-out Chris Chambers, ranks White among the most effective route-runners he has seen.

“He may be the best route runner we’ve had since I’ve been here,” Mason said. “He has a plan, he understands how the defense is playing him, and he has tremendous explosion out of his break. He’s a tremendous route runner. I haven’t been around one that can consistently get open [like he can].”

While White and Orr have led the way in the spring workouts, a number of other receivers have shown promise, including sophomore Ernest Mason and freshman Brandon Tobias.

Mason saw action in 11 games during his freshman campaign, pulling down one reception for 19 yards. The sophomore hopes to expand his role in the fall, but he will need to demonstrate consistency during the spring sessions.

“Ernest Mason is a guy that has shown flashes of brilliance, but at this time he’s still a little bit inconsistent,” Henry Mason said. “If we can get a consistent level of performance out of him, then he’s got a chance to be a good player.”

Tobias, who towers over cornerbacks at 6-foot-5, was ranked among the top 20 prep players in the state of Illinois by Rivals.com. The Chicago, Ill. native brings speed and an imposing figure to the field, but he will have to work through some growing pains.

“[Brandon] Tobias is still trying to figure out where to get lined up, but he’s a big physical force and has a lot of ability,” Alvarez said.

Tobias and the UW receiving corps will have to adjust to a new face under center after the departure of senior signal-caller Jim Sorgi. The current front-runner to replace Sorgi at quarterback is sophomore John Stocco, who has exhibited a powerful arm in the spring.

“That ball comes out a little bit quicker with Stocco, so it kind of makes us play faster,” Orr said. “You got to come out of breaks faster because that ball will be up quicker and you have to get your head turned faster because it’s going to come out a little quicker.”

Though the wide-outs will have to respond to a faster speed of play, Mason does not anticipate any major problems stemming from Stocco’s canon-like arm.

“I don’t think it’s going to have much of an effect on the receivers,” Mason said. “It’s not like we haven’t seen him before. Obviously, it’s a different face than Jim Sorgi, it’s a different ball, but you know that’s why we have spring practice. We should have all those kinks worked out by the time we line up to go in the fall.”

With an array of talented receivers eager to step out of Evans’ shadow, Mason has stressed discipline.

“Bunch all those guys together and the most important word is consistency,” Mason said. “For us to be able to game plan around those guys, we’ve got to know what we’re going to get. It can’t be highs and lows, we’ve got to level out. If we can just be consistently good, the great plays will happen.”