MORGANTOWN — Rich Rodriguez is the godfather of the spread offense, meaning three-plus wide receivers lined up every play. They might not be used as much as the running back, but they’re important for downfield blocking and sometimes picking up the first down on third down and distance.

The West Virginia wide receiver room doesn’t have any set starters, like the rest of the team, but there’s a lot of depth with returners like Jaden Bray, or Jacksonville State transfers like Cam Vaughn. Finding a starter will just take time.

“It’s always exciting as a coach to have so many guys that are competing,” outside wide receivers coach Ryan Garrett said. “It’s a cool situation to be in, but we don’t have any solidified starters. I think every day these guys go out there, in their mind, they’re competing to play, and it’s not just what they’re thinking. That’s the reality of it. We’re watching and grading everything. That’s what is exciting for me.”

Garrett’s in charge of the outside wide receivers, so the X and Z positions, and inside receivers coach Logan Bradley handles the slot.

There’s a difference between the wideouts and the slot in what WVU is looking for. Garrett said they want the outside receiver to be longer, bigger, the standard outside guy, while in the slot, they’re looking for a shifty and quicker receiver.

In the early days of camp, Garrett and Bradley are working together to figure out what wide receivers go where. Right now, every wide receiver is rotating between the slot and outside.

“We’re going to change personnel groupings, and those guys know that they need to be able to play slot,” Garrett said. “They need to be able to play wideout, and their best ability is going to be availability and knowing what they’re doing. If they would be in there when we got 10 personnel or we got zero personnel, it’s going to help them to know how to play every single position.”

Right now, there’s not a go-to receiver they can count on to pick up a first down on third-and-5.

“Not yet,” Garrett said. “But, I’m hoping we have a few.”

To become a starting wide receiver at WVU, Garrett has bought into Rodriguez’s belief that a player will play if they’re “good enough to win with.” If there’s no spot for them, they’ll put a square peg in a round hole to get them on the field.

Garrett is looking for consistency for wide receivers and will pick based on blocking, strength, catching, yardage and all the factors important in the job of wide receiver.

“Obviously, that all comes into play, but the guys who are going to be out there are going to be the guys that we’re relying on, and we feel like we can count on,” Garrett said. “If I know that you’re going to do your job, that’s what’s going to get you on the field.”

There’s still a lot of work to do to get to picking a starting receiver, whether that’s on the outside or inside. Like Rodriguez and the rest of the positional coaches, in the early practices, they’re just looking for effort, and more importantly, toughness.

“The big thing for us is, and they know this, every group on the team, we’re asking right now, every day in fall camp to go out there and play as hard as you can for two hours,” Garrett said.

“We have a lot of new guys. We have some guys that have been with us, some guys that were here in the spring. Just getting them to understand that’s the expectation. A lot of the new guys have bought in, and they’re doing a good job of that, but we still have a long way to go.”