Most Crucial Jayhawks 2016: No. 10 – WR Jeremiah Booker
photo by: Nick Krug
Kansas wide receiver Jeremiah Booker (88) is wrapped up by Texas Tech defensive back Nigel Bethel (1) and defensive back J.J. Gaines (3) during the second quarter on Saturday, Oct. 17, 2015 at Memorial Stadium.
As we jump into the Top 10, it’s offense that’s up first.
In fact, 7 of the final 10 in this summer’s list of the Most Crucial Jayhawks for 2016 come from the offensive side of the ball, lending support to the claim that it’s the KU offense that has the most room to improve and needs to elevate its production to something that more closely coincides with the rest of the Big 12.
In David Beaty’s Air Raid offense, there are plenty of ways to get that done, but few are as important as through the air. The Jayhawks have a deep and talented — but still green in a lot of ways — group of receivers and one of those with the greatest potential comes in at No. 10.
Reminder: This is not a list of the 25 best players on this year’s team. That would be much easier to pinpoint and, although still key, would not exactly demonstrate the full value that each player has in regard to the 2016 season.
This is a list of the 25 players who need to have strong seasons in order for the Jayhawks to have a chance to compete.
Tom Keegan and I came up with the list by each making our own list of 25 and then combining the results. We did the same thing for the last two years, but the amount of fresh faces made this list much tougher to put together.
Track the list every weekday at KUsports.com, where we’ll unveil the list one-by-one in reverse order. And, in case you miss some, be sure to check the links at the bottom of each entry for an up-to-date look at the list of 25.
10. Jeremiah Booker, Soph. Wide Receiver
An injury that kept him out for most of camp and a good chunk of the 2015 season severely limited Booker’s productivity, but there’s no denying the impact he made when he was on the field.
The long, tall, big target who showed up for fellow-freshman Ryan Willis down the field made in some tight spots made a few tough catches and finished his freshman season fourth on the team with 23 receptions and 228 yards in just six starts.
Imagine, then, what Booker could have done had he never been injured and been able to (a) compete at a high level immediately and (b) develop a better rapport with KU’s QBs more quickly instead of having to wait until the midway point of the season to get his legs under him.
It seems safe to say that his numbers easily could have doubled, which would have produced one of the better years by a KU wide receiver in recent years.
Fast forward to 2016, when you find a healthy, leaner and stronger Booker who no longer seems like a freshman trying to figure things out. Even though he looks slightly smaller, Booker said he dropped all of his bad weight this offseason and was moving better than ever. He worked hard this offseason on his route running and footwork and figuring out how to maneuver at his new playing weight.
If that translates into being a little faster — whether that’s straight-line speed or just perceived speed because he’s in and out of breaks quicker — then Booker could be poised for a big sophomore season and could be in line to give the Jayhawks the much-needed second or third weapon in the passing game to ensure that opponents can’t just key on junior transfer LaQuvionte Gonzalez game in and game out.
Whether the results come remains to be seen, but there’s no doubting that Booker will put in the work. He’s a great young man and a great teammate who puts the good of the program above any personal goals and, according to teammates, is easy and fun to be around. Because he is so polite and kind, he often comes across as quiet upon first meeting, but teammates and coaches say he’s one of the funniest guys on the roster and can really get people going when he’s on.
All KU fans need is for Booker to be “on” on Saturdays this fall. If he is, it will go a long way toward helping this offense climb out of the rut it has been in during the past six seasons.
Top 25 Most Crucial Jayhawks of 2016: