Position: WR
Height: 6'2"
Weight: 210
Hometown: Marlborough, Ma
High School: Worchester Academy
Twitter: @CSeverin_17
Canaan Severin was recruited by nearly the entire ACC and Big Ten as well as Notre Dame. He was rated a 4 star recruit by Rivals, and 3 stars by ESPN and Scout. He was recruited to play either WR or DB, and therefore was classified as an "Athlete". Severin was the 23rd rated Athlete on Rivals, 91st on ESPN and 50th on Scout.
The Hoos recruited Severin as a WR first and foremost, and that is where he was slotted. Severin played in every game last season as a true freshman, and although he had just 1 catch for 3 yards, he impressed people. Keep in mind that the Hoos had at least 7 older WRs ahead of him on the depth chart. That Severin played at all is a sign of how high the coaching staff is on him. At 6'2", Severin is among the biggest WRs the Hoos have. Of the bigger WRs, only Adrian Gamble had more catches (Miles Gooch also had 1, and four big TEs had catches).
Severin missed most of spring practice with an injury, which may have him falling even back on the depth chart. He's currently listed 5th at the Z spot (Tim Smith's spot). It may be difficult for him to see many reps, and Mike London has reportedly considered a redshirt year for Severin. This will help him fully recover from his injuries, and will also help spread out the WR class. Severin would then have 3 remaining years of eligibility and would be 2 years separated from many of the WRs on the team.
As a WR, Severin's strength is his ability to go get the ball. He's certainly not the fastest of the WRs, but he uses his size well and is capable of going over the middle and making tough catches in traffic. He would be a terrific weapon against zones, because he can find spaces in between defenders and make a tough catch. In fall practices last season, Severin was making a name for himself by catching everything thrown his way. He's got big hands and does a great job of pulling the ball in and securing it.
It is possible, however unlikely that Severin gets moved to defense. He played DB in high school and was recruited by many schools to play defense. His size and range would play very well at free safety, and would give the Hoos a center-fielder type that they have sorely lacked in the past few years. Of course, the Hoos have some very good safeties coming into the program in the next two seasons, so Severin is likely to stick at WR.