Studying with QBs helps Seton Hill receiver Todd Phillips become best deep-ball threat in the country

Seton Hill wide receiver Todd Phillips suffered a dislocated shoulder in spring practice leading up to his senior season in 2023. Subsequent surgery kept him out for the entirety of the fall.

While he couldn’t do anything physically on the field, Phillips figured he at least could keep his football mind sharp. Whenever it was time for the position groups to hold their meetings, Phillips would sit in.

With the quarterbacks.

The 6-foot-5, 200-pound native of Dallas, Pa., attended every quarterback meeting to learn the offense — one that was new under then-first-year coordinator Blaise Holzer — from a different perspective.

“That really did help me coming into this year, having all that knowledge from a quarterback standpoint,” said Phillips, now in his grad year with the Griffins. “Basically getting all that extra intel that you wouldn’t normally have as a receiver during the season.

“… Being able to be in that room and being able to learn it from a quarterback standpoint and knowing protection and knowing all that stuff is so key in being a successful college receiver.”

Phillips must have been a great student. Entering this Saturday’s game at Slippery Rock, he was leading NCAA Division II in yards par catch at 35.05 (21 receptions, 736 yards). In fact, his yards per catch ranked No. 1 across all NCAA divisions.

His best performance came Oct. 26 against Clarion, when he caught four passes for 247 yards — that’s not a misprint — including an 80-yard touchdown.

But it hasn’t been one video game-like performance that has skewed his yards-per-catch average. He also had …

• three catches for 94 yards (31.3) against Fairmont State

• two catches for 61 yards (30.5) against Bloomsburg

• two catches for 80 yards (40.0) against West Chester

• four catches for 159 yards (39.8) against Edinboro

Several of his catches have come at critical times. Both of his receptions in Seton Hill’s 15-14 win over Bloomsburg were significant: The first was for 47 yards on a third-and-19 that placed the Griffins (3-6, 1-4 PSAC West) at the 1-yard line, where running back Ky’Ron Craggette finished the drive; and the second was a 14-yard touchdown on fourth-and-3 with 9 seconds left.

In the Griffins’ 27-24 win over West Chester, he had a 74-yard touchdown reception — he has five TD catches this season — and a 6-yard catch on what turned out to be the winning drive.

This past weekend against Edinboro, he had a 79-yard touchdown reception.

Phillips’ numbers are monumental by any measure. They are even more impressive considering that, over his first two seasons, he averaged a pedestrian 13.0 yards per catch (32 receptions) and caught only one touchdown pass.

“Todd’s always been a really capable receiver,” Griffins coach Dan Day said. “He started as a freshman. I think Holzer is using him better from an offensive schematic standpoint. And the receivers coach we have now (James Cobbs) has really been able to define Todd’s skills.”

Holzer is in his second year as Seton Hill’s offensive coordinator and Cobbs his first as receivers coach. The down time spent studying with the quarterbacks enabled Phillips to grasp the concepts of Holzer’s schemes so he would be ready to put them into practice when healthy. Cobbs, meanwhile, has helped Phillips refine his route running.

“Coach Cobbs is definitely great in discipline,” Phillips said. “If he sees me do one thing wrong, he’s going to tell me about it, which I love.

“And coach Holzer scheming up stuff to fit me as a receiver … I might not be the best in and out of breaks or the fastest guy on the field, but (he’s) putting me in a position where I could succeed.”

Of course, it helps to have a strong running game to open up the passing game. Craggette — Phillips calls the Connellsville grad “one of the best backs in Division II” — often is the focal point of opposing defenses.

Entering the Slippery Rock game, Craggette had rushed for 1,089 yards (4.9 per carry) and 11 touchdowns. When defenses crowd the line of scrimmage to slow down Craggette, that creates a lot of single coverage on the receivers.

When that happens, Seton Hill’s offense can take advantage of the growing connection between Phillips and quarterback Jake Cruz. Cruz, in his first season as the Griffins’ regular starter, returned to campus in July, and he and Phillips, who remained in the area all summer, refined their chemistry.

Cruz has thrown for 1,773 yards and nine touchdowns.

“When teams load the box and give us opportunities to go one-on-one with Todd,” Day said, “he’s making them pay. We take some vertical shots with him when teams are trying to shut down the running game.”

Phillips’ breakout season, however, could be his last. Because of the covid year and his injury, he has one more year of football eligibility, but the job market could beckon.

He earned his bachelor’s degree in cybersecurity and is working toward his master’s in project management. The right job opportunity could mean hanging up his cleats.

He said he hasn’t made a decision about which way to go, but if this is to be Phillips’ last season of college football, he is making sure it is memorable.

“That development (under Holzer’s offense and Cobbs’ coaching) and how hard Todd works to be a really good receiver,” Day said, “all those elements combined have been the perfect storm.”