After two seasons of dropped passes and inconsistency at wide receiver under MSU head coach John L. Smith, the position that gave the Spartans trouble in the past looks to be one of their greatest strengths entering the 2005 season.

With wide receivers Aaron Alexander, Kyle Brown, Agim Shabaj and Matt Trannon all entering their senior years of play and junior Jerramy Scott and sophomore Terry Love returning to the program as well, the Spartans might have one of the best lists of wide receivers in the Big Ten.

Alexander said the group is coming together well, but there still is work to be done before the fall.

"Everybody is just becoming all-around better players," Alexander said. "Our blocking is getting better, people are catching the ball better, running better routes. We're just putting the whole total package together - that's kind of what we need to be good receivers."

One of the go-to guys for junior quarterback Drew Stanton certainly will be Brown, who impressively snatched five receptions for 141 yards in the April 16 controlled scrimmage.

"We got a lot of go-to receivers out here," Brown said. "Me, personally, I'm just trying to step my game up out here, make plays I didn't make last spring and last fall."

Smith said Brown had a good spring practice overall, which wrapped up Friday.

"He's becoming more of a natural receiver. He's worked a lot on his hands and catching the football, so I think his spring was good," Smith said.

After aiding the MSU men's basketball team to a Final Four trip, Trannon is back on the gridiron conditioning and practicing for football season in the fall.

He said being a two-sport athlete keeps him poised, motivated and active year round and said he's expected to play an important leadership role in the football program this fall.

"I need to be more vocal and be more of a leader since I am going to be a senior next year, and I need to step up and be more of a role model," Trannon said of the adjustments he'll have to make.

After a seeing limited time at the wide receiver position last year, Shabaj will enter his senior year looking to build on what he accomplished in his sophomore year.

"We come out every day, and each one of us try to get better because each of us want to play," he said.

Another thing that will aid the wide receivers at their position this fall will be a healthy Stanton, who showed brilliance leading the offense last season when he wasn't battling injuries.

"I think it helps any time you can roll that many guys out on the field and use the different types of dimensions that we have," Stanton said.

With the depth at wide receiver that the Spartans will showcase this fall and the underclassmen that are being brought into the program, Brown said that MSU football fans are in for a treat.

"We got some talented receivers out there - it's going to be a sight to see this fall."

Staff writer Chris Meagher contributed to this report.