Xavier Lane is a self-described “goofball.” The Western Kentucky wide receiver says that’ll always be part of his persona, but he’s worked on sharpening his focus when he’s on the field.

“Yeah, I’ve matured a little bit, I’m not going to lie,” Lane told the Daily News on Monday.

“I can be goofy now and then – it’s just my personality. But when it comes to the game and doing my job, this is what I’ve got to do to provide for and feed my family.”

Big things have been expected from Lane since he announced the Hilltoppers as his college choice on National Signing Day in 2016. The Carver High School (Montgomery, Ala.) standout was a three-star prospect ranked as the third-best receiver in Alabama by Scout.com.

Lane redshirted in 2016, waiting in the wings as Nicholas Norris and Taywan Taylor rewrote WKU’s receiving records.

The 6-foot-4, 200-pound wideout got his chance to play for the first time in 2017. He appeared in 12 games, starting five, after serving a one-game suspension for the Toppers’ season opener against Eastern Kentucky.

Lane ranked sixth among WKU receivers as a redshirt freshman with 27 receptions for 336 yards. He tallied at least 50 receiving yards in three games – including a six-catch, 86-yard night against Ball State – but was also held without a catch four times.

Cameron Echols-Luper and Nacarius Fant finished their college careers last season. Their departures left Lane as one of the Hilltoppers’ most productive returning wide receivers alongside Lucky Jackson (39 catches, 600 yards, three touchdowns in 2017) and Quin Jernighan (36, 393, three).

Junior Adams, WKU’s wide receivers coach and offensive coordinator, said Lane has “improved immensely” heading into his redshirt sophomore season. Lane and his teammates start the 2018 schedule Aug. 31 at Wisconsin.

“I think the most important thing for Zay is he’s starting to mature,” Adams said. “He’s starting to grow up. He played a lot of meaningful snaps for us last year. He came off a great spring that led into the summer and so far through camp he’s been pretty consistent.”

Lane is taller than any WKU wideout and can be a deep threat down the sidelines. Route running, avoiding drops and working on timing with first-year starting quarterback Drew Eckels have been offseason priorities, he said.

“We work after practice every day,” Lane said of Eckels. “If I miss a ball or a route, we make sure we get it after the scrimmage or after the practice. I think we’ve got a good relationship, me and Drew.”

Jackson, Jernighan and Lane have emerged as the leaders of the wide receivers group, Adams said.

Coach Mike Sanford praised the redshirt junior Jackson’s growth earlier this summer. His 65 career catches and 995 receiving yards are more than any other player on WKU’s roster.

Jernighan, also a redshirt junior, is expected to see a big role this season. At 6-3, 210 pounds, he’s the Hilltoppers’ sturdiest receiver and will be called upon to make catches in traffic.

“From last season … they’ve talked about big things on their parts – catching multiple touchdowns and basically doing everything they can,” the redshirt senior Eckels said of Jackson and Jernighan. “I expect a lot of them, just as they expect plenty from themselves.”

Marcus Floyd, Jahcour Pearson and Jacquez Sloan also return as wideouts this fall. The speedster Sloan impressed at times as a true freshman in 2017, catching 12 passes for 182 yards and two TDs.

Freshmen Russell Brown, Spencer Gaddis, Anthony Spurlock and Kawan Williams are all going through their first fall camps.

“They’re all showing some flashes,” Adams said of the newcomers. “The guy that’s standing out and picking up the system pretty fast is Spencer Gaddis.

“Kawan Williams has made some plays for us. Russell Brown has made some plays and Anthony Spurlock, (who) can flat-out run, has made some plays down the field.”{&end}