Experience, Explosiveness Highlight Kent State Receiver Room as Fall Camp Winds Down
8/21/2026 6:55:00 PM | Football
KENT, Ohio — With fall camp reaching its final stretch, first-year wide receivers coach Isaac Vance has enjoyed a unique vantage point as he leads a room he once played in himself.
"I'm fired up. It's a tremendous blessing to be able to be back where I once played," Vance said. "It's really humbling, and honestly, being able to impact young people in the same seats that I sat in is just a tremendous blessing. I'm fired up for this opportunity."
Vance said the group has built steadily on the progress made during the spring, continuing to refine the finer points of the position through fall camp.
"We've made tremendous strides from spring ball, when we first started putting the pads on. We had a great 15 practices throughout the spring," Vance said. "I think we had a really productive summer, and we've done a good job this fall camp of continuing to work on improving every single day. We strive to get better by one percent every single day, and I think we've done a good job of that. I think we are in a very explosive room. Our consistency needs to continue to improve day in and day out, but I think we've done a good job of making plays when our number's been called. That's the biggest thing. The attention to detail and being able to block on the perimeter will continue to set us up for a lot of success this fall."
Vance credited a veteran core, headlined by Preseason All-MAC honoree Wayne Harris, along with Da'Realyst Clark, Jared Kelly, Ardell Banks, and Jay Jay Etheridge, for easing his transition into the role.
"They've been great, we kind of have an experienced room, with Wayne having played a lot of football, Da'Realyst Clark, Jared Kelly, and Ardell Banks with Jay Jay Etheridge as well," Vance said. "Those five are our older core that have played a lot of football for us here. That helps us out as a room. We have 16 guys in the room, and our top half really allows us to not just talk about it, but be about it. They've lived this life before; they understand what it takes to win football games here at Kent State, and it helps us a lot. Coming in as my first year here, having those older guys to lean on and talk through things with has been tremendous, and it shows on the field. Your older players tend to be your best players, and they've got to be your best leaders as well. I think they're doing a really good job of that."
Vance singled out Clark's development as a receiver as one of camp's biggest storylines, pointing to his growing command of the offense as the driving factor.
"He's been awesome, obviously, he has all the accolades as a return man, and we challenged him this whole offseason of taking the next step, being a guy that he knows he can be, and being a guy that we know he can be at the receiver position as well," Vance said. "He's had an unbelievable spring ball. I think the biggest jump that's really helped him is his knowledge of the playbook. He's done a great job of being able to master all three positions; he has a great understanding of all three, and he's obviously explosive, so when we get the ball in his hands, he's able to make plays. He's also been incredibly intentional, not just on his knowledge of the playbook but on his blocking. He's one of my best blockers on the perimeter because he cares about it. He's very intentional in his craft, putting in extra work and asking great questions. He's been absolutely tremendous."
Beyond the veteran group, Vance pointed to early-enrollee freshman Brendyn Smith as a newcomer who has made a strong first impression.
"We've had a good camp, a good balance of old guys and guys showing up," Vance said. "I mentioned previously, obviously, Wayne, Da'Realyst, Jared Kelly, and Ardell have done a great job. Brendyn Smith has had a really good spring ball and camp as an early enrollee freshman; he's done a lot of good things. We're just continuing to stack days. That's the ultimate goal: to get one percent better, and they're doing that and being intentional on our craft. We've had some guys make plays when the opportunities come, and we just got to continue to get better every day."
Harris, entering the season with Preseason All-MAC recognition as both a receiver and punt returner, said the room's overall talent is clear, with the next step tied to sharpening the fundamentals.
"The receivers, I feel like we got a lot of talented people in the room, a lot of young guys stepping up, some old guys returning that we expect a lot of," Harris said. "So just staying consistent, making the little plays. We're good at making spectacular plays when needed, but we need to convert the consistent, short, and simple stuff. That's where I think our next step will take us to being a great receiver room."
Harris said the returning group's value extends beyond on-field production, citing the standard veterans have helped establish for younger players.
"We got an impact on the field, making the plays and knowing where we're supposed to be and how we want to run stuff in our system," Harris said. "But also, for the younger guys, being in the program and the system, we understand what the coaches want and what the expectation is of not just being a Kent State football player, but a college football player. Being able to bring our younger brothers up, not lowering the standard but bringing them up to the standard, that's what's been really beneficial about bringing returning players back."
Like his position coach, Harris pointed to Smith as a standout among the newcomers, along with Luke Simms.
"Brendyn Smith for sure. That's a guy that comes in, asks a lot of questions, loves football, and he looked at me as somewhat of a big brother, so I take that with pride," Harris said. "Make sure he's everywhere he needs to be, and he's going to be good for us this year. Also, Luke Simms has been making a lot of plays too."
With individual preseason honors already in hand, Harris said his focus has shifted entirely toward the season ahead.
"It's a blessing to get those preseason awards, but nothing's won in the preseason," Harris said. "I see it for sure, but now it's time for me to go get everything that I want. And that's what I want, that's what I'm going to do."
The Golden Flashes open the 2026 season on the road at South Carolina, on September 5, at 12:45 p.m. Eastern. Season tickets for the 2026 season are available now at KSUtix.com.
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