Arguably the strongest unit of the University of Cincinnati’s football team next year will be its wide receiving corp.

Even though fan-favorite and senior Mardy Gilyard is departing; the Bearcats will still have plenty of weapons to catch passes and make plays. Mel Kiper has Bearcat wide out Armon Binns rated as the second best receiver for the 2011 draft. D.J. Woods returns after he impressed in his sophomore season with 640 receiving yards and 4 touchdown grabs. Tight End Ben Guidugli is also back in the fold after earning second team Big East honors last season. On top of all that the buzz is already building about KenBrell Thompkins a 6’3 wide receiver who committed to the Bearcats on March 21 out of El Camino Community College.

While those are all great players there is one player who I am very anxious to see on the field at Nippert Stadium next year that might not be as well known to casual Bearcat followers and that is Vidal Hazelton.

Hazelton is a 6-2, 210 lb transfer from Southern California; he was the Trojan’s leading wide receiver in 2007 catching 50 balls and scoring four touchdowns. He transferred from USC after his grandfather was diagnosed with cancer; Vidal wanted to be closer to him. Also, Hazelton suffered an injury in the season opener of his junior year against Virginia; and his absence slid him down the Trojan depth chart.

Vidal had to sit out because of transfer rules; and this coming season will be his one and only season for the Bearcats. New Head coach Butch Jones is excited about having Vidal in his offense though.

"I don't want to compare him to Mardy (Gilyard) because Mardy has done so many great things here and it's (spring) practice (number) four," Cincinnati coach Butch Jones said, "but I will tell you this: Vidal has great, great skills. We've just got to develop them."

Hazelton originally chose to come to Cincinnati to play in Brian Kelly’s wide open spread offense. The departure of Kelly left Hazelton wondering if he had made the right decision to come to Cincy to play; all those thoughts went away though once he heard Butch Jones would be the next head coach at UC.

“Once I heard coach Butch Jones was coming in, I just smiled. Everything's good." Vidal said speaking of his reaction to hearing of Butch Jones being hired as the next head coach.

The Bearcats will also being used a spread offense type of offense this season under Butch Jones; the same type of offensive philosophy that served them well under Brian Kelly.

When speaking about the upcoming Cincinnati Bearcat’s football squad Hazelton’s name may not be the first thing that rolls off of fans tongues. I expect though that after a few games next season Bearcat fans will see what the Trojan coaching staff saw and what Butch Jones is now seeing and that is a dangerous playmaker at wide receiver.