At the turn of the century and through the Philip Rivers era, N.C. State boasted a long line of wide receivers who turned pro.

From Alvis Whitted and Torry Holt to Koren Robinson and Jerricho Cotchery, the Wolfpack churned out the prospects.

The receiving corps now faces an almost complete cleanout, as only seniors Darrell Blackman and John Dunlap remain as the old hands, backed by a fresh group of seven underclassmen.

Blackman drew praise last year as a special teams threat, becoming State’s all-time kick return leader with more than 28 yards per kickoff return, while Dunlap shined in the end zone, highlighted by his hail mary grab to beat Boston College.

Now these two must pass on their knowledge to the underclassmen, who have a combined 13 games played among the group, compared to the 64 of Dunlap and Blackman.

The old guard

When former coach Chuck Amato used to visit with Dunlap while he was in high school, he spoke of the dynamic passing game led by Philip Rivers and the team’s air-it-out tendencies.

And when it came time to choose between Miami and State, Dunlap decided he wanted to be a part of that long line of receivers to come from Raleigh.

“I just love to go deep,” Dunlap said. “I know if it’s me against someone else one-on-one, I’m going to win.”

That rang true against current coach Tom O’Brien’s former team last year. But the going hasn’t always been that easy for the offense over the past three years.

“At times it definitely got frustrating,” Dunlap said. “Instead of letting things happen then adjusting, we’d go with something and stick with it.”

But he said former receivers like Lamart Barrett and Tramain Hall played a big part in helping him adjust to the ACC-level play – the same help Dunlap and Blackman hope to give this young crop of receivers.

Blackman said they’ve helped not only in adjusting to college life, but also with specific football issues.

“We’ve been helping them with learning the terminology and the routes, and coming back to the ball when they’re breaking on the ball, and catching the ball with their hands and eyes,” he said.

And though Dunlap and Blackman are looking to be on the field for the majority of the snaps, they realize they’ll need the young guns to step up for the team to better its record from last year.

“They’re a great bunch of guys who are working hard for this team,” Dunlap said.

New kids on the block

That untested group of receivers is ready to take the next step in becoming O’Brien’s version of State’s former star receivers.

Leading the young pack is Donald Bowens, who played in 12 games last year, grabbing 16 receptions and two touchdowns.

Bowens and sophomore Jarvis Williams are the only two underclassmen with actual game experience.

“It helps as far as getting out there and knowing what to expect,” Bowens said. “We’ll all know what to do assignment-wise.”

The loss of sophomore Geron James last January, leaves one less with playing time, but opens the doors for other young receivers like Williams and Darrell Davis.

“They’re a talented bunch of guys,” Dunlap said. “Williams, Davis, Bowens – they all are working really hard.”

Another player on the radar for the Pack’s coaching staff as well as Dunlap, is Marcus Bond.

“He’s a phenomenal athlete and can definitely run with the ball,” Dunlap said. “He’ll probably end up playing a slot receiver type spot, like Tramain Hall.”

The merging

Despite the mentor-student relationship Dunlap and Blackman have formed with the younger receivers, the group still hangs out plenty off the field.

Whether it be playing video games at each other’s apartments, going to Bojangles’ after the morning two-a-days or just getting away from football, the group stays together.

“Since we’ve been here, it’s been a good routine hanging out with the younger guys and teaching them things we learned from the old coaching staff and things we’re picking up from the new staff,” Blackman said.

Davis is always competing with the other receivers on the basketball court, according to Dunlap. But Dunlap has had to tone his hardwood play down since he tore his ACL playing basketball his sophomore year.

“Everything we do is competitive,” Williams said. “Whether it’s games, food, catching the most balls in practice, it’s always a competition.”

The group is fighting for catches in practice from a variety of quarterbacks. With redshirt junior Daniel Evans, sophomore Harrison Beck and redshirt freshman Justin Burke fighting for the starting job.

“They’re all so close to each other in competition,” Dunlap said. “And that competition is going to be throughout the season.”

With those quarterbacks on campus for at least another year, the young receiving core is hoping to grow along with them and give the Holts and the Cotcherys a run for their money.

“Next year, we’ll be young – the oldest will be a junior with a bunch of sophomores and freshmen,” Williams said. “So we’re trying to bring back the deep, good receivers we used to have back in the day.”