Cam Pickett is back healthy, and will help the offense
Kansas wide receiver Cam Pickett is finding his groove again after working through an early-season injury. His performance against UCF last weekend showed what he can bring to the Jayhawks’ offense.
Pickett, who currently ranks second on the team in receptions and third in receiving yards, earned the highest receiver grade on the team from PFF in the win over the Knights.
After missing extended snaps in recent weeks, Pickett said it felt good to get back into the flow and contribute.
“I felt good finally, you know, feeling good. I was ready,” Pickett said. “We knew the game plan and just went out there. I knew I was gonna be involved and I was ready to make plays.”
Getting back to full health has been a process for Pickett, who opened the season with a strong first game before being limited in action.
“Like I said, getting my body feeling back where it needs to be and just doing whatever I need to do to help our team, really,” he said.
Pickett admitted that sitting out more than he wanted was difficult, but he stayed focused on the bigger picture.
“Of course, you always want to be on the field,” he said. “But I knew they need to put the players out there that do what the team needs. I just kept doing what I needed to do in the training room and got ready for when my number was called again.”
Now that he’s back in the rotation and producing, Pickett feels there’s still more he can show.
“I definitely feel like there’s more things that I can do on the field,” he said. “As opportunities come, I’m just ready to make more plays.”
Confidence and a deep WR group
While Emmanuel Henderson has gained attention for his elite speed, Pickett said his own game brings a mix of qualities.
“Well, I think I’m pretty fast too,” he said with a grin. “He (Henderson) is a burner — but I think I can run too. I think I can make guys miss, make hard catches. I feel like I can do it all.”
The Jayhawks’ wide receiver group has shown good depth all season, with multiple players stepping up in different games. Pickett said that versatility has become a strength of the unit.
“We feel like we have a guy that can do everything,” he said. “I feel like we have a lot of depth in our room. As the season goes on, we continue to show that, and we’re going to keep doing that as the season progresses.”
Looking ahead to Texas Tech
Kansas will face another challenge this weekend when they travel to Lubbock to take on Texas Tech, who will apply defensive pressure and creating disruption at the line of scrimmage.
“They got some good pressure up front,” Pickett said. “They definitely have a dynamic defense, but we’re confident in what we have and our game plan, and we think we’re able to do what we need to do on Saturday.”
After putting up good numbers at UCF and back to healthy, he knows getting open against the Tech defenders will help the offense. The Red Raiders have good athletes in the front seven and will present a good challenge.
“We feel like we have the protection we need up front, but as a receiver, you always want to get open as soon as possible,” he said. “So, whether that means getting open sooner or not, we’re always prepared to get open when we need to.”
