Circle & Co. catching on fast

If everything were as reliable as the hands of senior wide receiver and co-captain Brendan Circle, back-to-back blazes on Cannon Green and a repeat Ivy League Championship would be distinct possibilities for the football team in 2007.

Princeton's lone returning first-team All-Ivy player proved himself last year by amassing a monster 835 yards, the fifth-highest single-season receiving total in Princeton history. Adding seven touchdowns while averaging a team-leading 14.9 yards per catch, Circle is a model of consistency, always seeming to convert on third downs and perpetually moving the chains.

What is keeping Nassau Hall from ordering the firewood today are the question marks surrounding Circle in the receiving corp. Subtract Circle's team-high 56 catches from a year ago, and the wide receivers on the Tiger roster today totaled just 18 catches last year — 17 by junior Adam Berry and one by junior Will Thanheiser.

Having witnessed the progression of his fellow wideouts in the weeks and months leading up to the 2007 season, however, Circle feels that the Orange and Black faithful have reason to breathe easy.

"I would say that this is the deepest wide receiving corps I've ever been a part of, top to bottom," Circle said. "The talent ... is tremendous."

That talent starts with Circle himself, who in addition to his dependability has also demonstrated a penchant for the big play over the course of his career. Anyone who witnessed his 178-yard, two-touchdown performance in last year's crucial 34-31 win over Yale can attest to that.

Already known for his precision routes and steady hands, Circle was eager to improve his speed and explosiveness off the ball over the off-season, putting in time with a speed trainer at the beginning of the summer.

Physical improvement was not the only preparation Circle had to make this summer, since the veteran leader of the receiving unit was appointed a co-captain.

"There's obviously a little pressure being a captain, and you feel like you're under a microscope," Circle said, "but it's exciting to have that pressure because as an athlete, I love playing under pressure."

Hoping to take some of the weight off Circle's shoulders are a number of other capable receivers whose abilities shone through during the Tigers' three-week preseason camp. Judging from those sessions, Berry seems the most likely candidate to step up this season.

"Adam may have put together one of the best camps I've ever seen a receiver put together this year," Circle said. "He was like a vacuum. For every ball that went his direction — it didn't matter if he could only get one finger on it. He caught everything."

Berry showed off his potential early in his sophomore year when he caught the game-winning pass from quaterback Jeff Terrell '07 in the fourth quarter of the Tigers' season-opening, 14-10 victory over Lehigh. A dangerous weapon off the bench throughout the 2006 season, Berry caught at least one pass in nine of 10 games, but he will have to carry greater responsibility this year.

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Berry's classmate Thanheiser is another potential breakout receiver. Though he gained little in-game experience last season while playing behind a solid lineup of senior receivers, Thanheiser's style of play has Circle buzzing.

"Will adds a dimension to the wide receiving corps that is unique because he just has the ability to get open," Circle said. "He has great body control when the ball's in the air."

Sophomore receiver Jeb Heavenrich will most likely return punts for the Tigers this year, but he also had a good showing in camp and will surely improve as he continues to learn the offense.

Perhaps what's most exciting about this year's receiving corps is the freshman class.

"The coaches always say every year that we have a great recruiting class," Circle said, "but in my career here this is the best recruiting class for wide receivers that we've had."

Unfortunately for the Tigers, three of the six freshman receivers are currently injured. Matthew Abola and Adam Al-Khayyal both suffered torn ACLs during their senior years in high school, and classmate Marcus Stewart is scheduled for surgery after experiencing two herniated discs.

Each of the trio of healthy freshman receivers brings a unique style to the position, which will undoubtedly be useful for the Tigers in the future. Andrew Kerr was solid at camp, while Trey Peacock established himself as a potential deep threat. Matt Ransom's precision while running intermediate routes and innate ability to free himself in the open field will make him an elusive receiver.

With the balanced abilities of the freshman class, the different styles of play that Heavenrich, Thanheiser and Berry bring to the offense and Circle's impressive versatility, opposing defenses will have a tough time handling the Princeton receivers this season.

"I think with the talent and the depth that we have at wide receiver, we can really help to balance out a lot of the defensive coverages that we're going to face," Circle said. "If we can keep the defenses honest, I think that we can be dangerous on the offensive side of the ball just because we have a lot of talent there."

One of the Tigers' biggest question marks could even take on a Circular type of reliability.