CORVALLIS — From the moment he was hired to coach Oregon State’s wide receivers, Kefense Hynson has proudly taken ownership of the group.

It did not matter that Hynson, a former college defensive back for Willamette University in Salem, inherited a set of receivers who were recruited by others. The returning players were Hynson’s to mold and tutor.

“I just kind of started from scratch,” Hynson said after Saturday’s practice at Prothro Field. “I didn’t want to come in here with ‘you guys were taught this and that was wrong’ or ‘this technique is wrong.’ It just doesn’t matter. They are my guys now, so we started from ground zero.”

At every practice, Hynson has the receivers focus on three basic fundamentals: footwork, route posture and hands. The goal is to make small improvements each day, yielding a batch of well-rounded playmakers for head coach Jonathan Smith and offensive coordinator Brian Lindgren to experiment with.

The receivers’ growth has not gone unnoticed.

“I think they’ve had a really good camp across the board,” quarterback Jake Luton said. “Whatever guy is in has been stepping up and making big plays. There hasn’t really been any hiccups I’ve noticed between any of the groups.”

Veterans Timmy Hernandez, Trevon Bradford and Isaiah Hodgins have run with the first-team offense throughout most of preseason camp, which moves to Central Oregon later this week for practices that will conclude Thursday with a scrimmage starting at noon at Bend’s Summit High School. (The scrimmage is open to the public and will be followed by an autograph session for fans.)

Hernandez, the only senior receiver on OSU’s roster, played in all 12 games the past two seasons and caught 49 passes for 598 yards and four touchdowns. The Phoenix native is a pure route runner with tremendous hands.

Bradford, a junior, has 16 career receptions for 264 yards and a touchdown. Hodgins played in 11 games as a true freshman last season, hauling in 31 passes for 275 yards and two scores.

Hynson gave credit to Hernandez, Bradford and Hodgins for helping the younger receivers learn the ropes.

“Those are guys that have played, guys that can answer questions,” Hynson said. “There’s got to be a bridge between the players and coaches, and they are that for me. The young guys can lean on them and they know the mistakes the young guys are making.

“And they just get it. They know what it’s like to be here, be freshmen away from home. They know the whole thing, not just the football piece.”

Bradford has been dynamic in camp after missing a good chunk of spring practice due to injury. The Oregon City High graduate can hit the edges on fly sweeps and also be a factor in the return game.

Entering his third year at OSU, Bradford has become a mentor to the newcomers.

“Those guys don’t really know what to expect yet,” Bradford said. “The games are a lot faster than what’s out here in practice, everything speeds up. We’re just trying to get them acclimated to the speed and the learning style of what it’s like. We try to help them as much as we can, but it’s kind of up to them whether they listen to us.”

When the Beavers have deployed a four-receiver look in practice, sophomore Tino Allen has occasionally joined Hernandez, Bradford and Hodgins with the first string.

Allen looks more like a running back (5 feet 11, 205 pounds) but has all the tools to be an impact receiver.

“Tino is a good player,” Hynson said. “He just hasn’t been healthy consistently, but he’s healthy now and he’s competing. He’s got some power, got some strength and has a really unique skill set.”

Junior Andre Bodden and redshirt freshmen Kolby Taylor and Champ Flemings are also pushing hard for playing time, but true freshman Jesiah Irish has been the talk of preseason camp.

Irish played football, basketball and baseball at Mount Si High in Snoqualmie, Washington, a small town 25 miles east of Seattle. Hynson discovered Irish while coaching at Hawaii and fell in love with his film.

By the time Smith hired Hynson in December 2017, Irish was all but committed to OSU.

“I thought he was just completely under-recruited,” Hynson said of Irish, who is listed at 5-11 and 176 pounds. “But I loved him and I thought he was a great athlete that could run and catch. He was a good three-sport athlete and played defense, which I liked about him.

“For whatever reason, he just didn’t get a lot of attention. I think he’s kind of along the lines of some of the great ones that have come through Oregon State that may have been a little under-recruited but turned out to be great players. But at the same time, we have to be fair to him and let him grow.”

All the freshmen have made an impression on Luton, the Beavers’ only quarterback with Pac-12 starting experience.

“There’s some newcomers, but a lot of talented newcomers,” Luton said. “Those young guys have been having a really, really good camp. I’ve been impressed.”

Junior Aaron Short looked good early in camp but has been sidelined with a left arm injury. Sophomore Mason Moran had his right arm in a sling over the weekend.

Hynson did not provide an update on either player following Saturday’s practice. He also said it was too early to discuss in-game receiver rotations.

“We want to make sure the best players are on the field relative to the job descriptions,” Hynson explained. “Sometimes that means rotating a lot of guys, sometimes it doesn’t. So it’ll just play itself out that way, but I’m not afraid to play a lot of guys if they earned the right to play.”

Even with a couple of injuries, the Beavers are as deep at receiver as any position on the roster. Hynson has the improving group eager for showtime in the season opener Sept. 1 at Ohio State.

“He’s a real laid-back coach and a real good teacher,” Bradford said of Hynson. “His coaching style is super easy to play for. He’s been an offensive coordinator before so he knows what he’s talking about.”