Western Kentucky’s coaches were confident in the team’s depth at receiver entering fall camp, saying they thought it was a group deeper than on last year’s 9-4, bowl-game-winning team.

The Hilltoppers – who graduated Lucky Jackson and Quin Jernighan – are now down their top four reception leaders from 2019 after the departure of Jacquez Sloan late in camp and Jahcour Pearson on Monday, two games into the season. Now, less experienced players will have an opportunity to step up moving forward.

“We’ll certainly miss J.P.,” WKU offensive coordinator Bryan Ellis said Tuesday in a Zoom with reporters. “J.P. made a lot of plays around here the last two years, so we’ll miss him. We wish him nothing but the best, but I think we’ve got capable bodies.”

Pearson, who announced his intentions to transfer in a tweet Monday, entered the season as WKU’s leading returning receiver after posting 804 yards and seven touchdowns on 76 receptions in last fall’s All-Conference USA Second Team campaign. Pearson and Sloan combined for 110 receptions, with Jackson and Jernighan adding another 126. In total, that’s 75% of the team’s 313 receptions from last year.

Pearson had nine receptions – tied for most on the team – and 96 yards – the second-most on the team – through the first two games of the season, which included losses to Louisville and Liberty.

“JP was a good person – my dog, for real, for real – but hey, the team’s just got to keep moving forward. Still be in contact with him, keep him close, but us as a whole, we’ve just got to keep moving forward,” WKU quarterback Tyrrell Pigrome said. “Next guy up, he’s just got to do his job, play, and me too. Just got to keep playing, trying to perform, lead us to a victory. Do the best we can.”

Pigrome has thrown for 310 yards and four touchdowns on 28-of-48 passing, with no interceptions. In Saturday’s home-opening loss to Liberty, he was 18-of-25 for 193 yards and three touchdowns.

Hutchinson Community College transfers Mitchell Tinsley and Craig Burt Jr. have taken on much of the load from the departed receivers in the early going. Tinsley has 107 yards receiving and two receiving touchdowns – both team-highs – on nine receptions. Burt has four receptions for 57 yards, including a 36-yard reception where he caught the ball over a defender – a play that later was featured on ESPN’s “You Got Mossed” segment with former NFL star Randy Moss.

“They’re the two starting outside receivers. They’ll get more opportunities, more touches,” Ellis said. “We want to throw the ball. We try to be balanced on offense, so if you run 65, 70 plays in the game, we’re going to throw it 30, 35 times. We’ve got to get that play count up, which is more success on those early downs and then we’ve got to get the ball in the hands of our playmakers and let them go make plays.

“I think, especially in the second half when we did that with both Craig and Mitch, they proved that they can go do it. We’ll continue to feed them and continue to ride their shoulders.”

Pearson, Tinsley and Burt were the only three WKU players to record receptions against Louisville, but three others – Xavier Lane and tight ends Joshua Simon and Dalvin Smith – each had two against the Flames.

Simon has proven to be a playmaker. He was on the league’s All-Freshman team last season after catching 30 passes for 430 yards and four touchdowns, but has just two receptions for 19 yards this year.

Lane, a redshirt senior, doubled his total receptions from last year – where he appeared in nine games, primarily on special teams – with his two Saturday.

Smith played in four games last year, primarily on special teams, and redshirted. On Saturday, he had two receptions, including a 24-yard touchdown in the third quarter – the first of his career. Receiver Dayton Wade is also expected to take on more work with the offense. He has made his mark primarily in special teams through two games, and had one reception for 10 yards last season.

“I think you saw Dalvin on Saturday – Dalvin Smith – go out and make some plays. We’ve seen that all fall camp,” Ellis said. “ … We’ve got to get him more involved. He’ll take some of that load, along with Dayton Wade.

“I’ve been preaching to Dayton the last two years that he’s going to get his chance, and here it is. I think those two kids will carry the main load of it, and I’ve got full confidence in them.”

WKU is off this week before traveling to Murfreesboro, Tenn., to open C-USA play against Middle Tennessee.{&end}