CFF Targets - ODU WR on pre-season all VP watch
CFF Targets - ODU WR on pre-season all VP watch
You should be familiar with Javon Harvey this offseason
In case you missed it in my WR sleeper series article two weeks ago, Javon Harvey (5’11, 180) is a name to get familiar with this offseason.
As mentioned above, I originally covered Harvey as part of a series article earlier this month. As the Monarchs began spring camp yesterday, I thought it would be appropriate to repost this as an individual piece.
Harvey, a rising junior and local product hailing from Norfolk, Virginia, looks poised to have a standout 2023 season. In 2022, Harvey emerged as the second leading receiver for Old Dominion, hauling in 30 receptions for 558 yards and 4 touchdowns in just 9 games. As a freshman in 2021, he showed his versatility by securing 11 passes for 114 yards and rushing for 6 yards on a carry. He’ll be doing most of his damage through the air though, and I think 2023 will be a big year for Harvey.
Harvey finds himself in an elite system
New OC Kevin Decker spent the previous four seasons as the offensive coordinator and quarterbacks coach with the Fordham Rams. This past season, Fordham led the FCS and had the second-best offense in FCS history with 609 yards per game and ranked second in the country with 49.5 points per game. The Rams also led the FCS in first downs and passing offence. Fordham quarterback Tim DeMorat led the country in touchdown passes, total touchdowns, passing yards and total offence with (brace yourself for this), 4891 yards and 56 passing TDs to only 10 INTs.
You’re probably thinking, that’s a lot of passing TDs, someone had to catch all those passes right? Well, three players actually. In 2022 Fordham provided THREE 1000-yard receivers with the top dog catching 104 passes for 1354 yards and 15 TDs.
The season before that the Rams didn’t have a 1000 yard receiver (they had two that were close though) but they did see two receivers catch double digit TD passes. Fotis Kokosioulis was a 5’9 slot receiver while Dequece Carter (6’0, 196) was a boundary WR. Harvey’s build suggests he could be lining up in the slot or on the boundary for the Monarchs in 2023.
We can be pretty confident that the 2023 system at ODU is going to be passing a lot, and Harvey is the lead returning receiver. If you’re not already in at least chub mode right now then let’s spice things up even more.
QB Hayden Wolf is set to return for the Monarchs in 2023. Regardless of personal opinions on his ability, this is a QB who threw Ali Jennings 959 yards and 9 TDs in 9 games last season. During that time, Jennings also managed to score a TD pass in 7 consecutive games with Wolf at the helm, and was targeted a staggering 88 times in total — averaging 9.77 targets per game, with an average of 6 catches per contest. This level of target funnelling is exactly what you want to see from the QB of the WR you’re interested in. While the OC will be new in 2023 (as mentioned above), the head coach that oversaw high levels of production for Jennings returns, and I can’t help but wonder out loud whether they will deploy a similar strategy with Harvey.
Lastly, with ODU's three star playmakers — WR A. Jennings, TE Z. Kuntz, and RB B. Watson — having moved on, there are significant shoes to fill for the Monarchs. The opportunity for Harvey is here and the system in place is well equipped to provide the platform for him to reach volume pig status in 2023.
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