Jace Billingsley's college coach on what WR brings to Patriots: 'He wants to be special'

FOXBOROUGH — Honestly, it’s hard not to look at Jace Billingsley and see Danny Woodhead.

The 5-foot-9, 180-pounder certainly has the same multidimensional skill set and college resume — a wide receiver who also saw time as a running back and returner as a collegian at Eastern Oregon, Billinsgley finished fourth in the country as a senior with 1,931 all-purpose yards. He tallied 863 rushing yards on 176 carries, 506 receiving yards on 57 catches, and scored 13 touchdowns.

That got him a spot on the Detroit roster the last two years, where he spent the bulk of his time starring in the preseason and spending the rest of the season on the practice squad. He was signed by New England off the Lions’ practice squad earlier this week, but he certainly managed to leave an impression on his old teammates. With Detroit, he befriended Golden Tate, who called him “White Thunder” and spent plenty of time working with him last year.

“Everyone has an opportunity to help us win games this year, and Jace is one that sticks out,” Tate said of Billingsley. “Ten years from now I’ll think about Jace.



“He’s a hard-working guy, shows up early, leaves late, works his tail off in the weight room. He makes it his mission to be the first one through the line of sprints. He’s shifty.”

Here's a look at some of his preseason work with the Lions the last couple of years:



That pretty much sounds like the scouting report on Billingsley we got from his coach at EOU, Tim Camp, who had him for four years.

“The biggest thing with Jace is that he will be the hardest worker you’ll ever be around,” Camp said of Billingsley. “He’s one of those guys who prides himself on the work he puts in on a consistent basis, and that’s what you’re going to get when he walks in your building.

“We went down to recruit him out of Winnemucca (Nevada) — we found him at a football camp down there — and it was really clear really early on that he plays the game the right way. The goals he sets for himself are the sort of things you love as a coach. If you had a whole team of guys like that, you’d win championship after championship after championship.”



While Billingsley led the Lions in preseason receptions the last two years, he got a lot of run as a punt returner as well. With the understanding that rookies and other younger players often have to make their bones on special teams before they crack the lineup on either offense or defense, Camp says Billingsley is well-prepared for that role as well.

“The time when I really knew he was going to play on Sundays was when I saw him return one 104 yards against Sacramento State,” Camp said. “I knew he had the fearlessness he needed to succeed as a special teamer. He has great speed, good burst. You get him the ball in space, and let him go. He also had a chance to play some special teams in Detroit, running down on kickoffs and making plays.

“I always thought he just needed someone to give him a shot to show what he can do,” Camp said. “I mean, he’s harder on himself than anyone else is going to be. He can tell you that he needs to be faster, he needs to be stronger, he needs to study more. And I think he’s plenty strong and fast. But I think he just needs a shot to show someone his commitment. He doesn’t want to be just a guy. He wants to be special.”

In the end, while the Woodhead comparison is legit when it comes to size and skill set, he’ll have to put in some serious work to match what Woodhead accomplished in his two-plus years with the Patriots. Woodhead made the most of his opportunities, seizing the moment when he got his chance. Camp believes Billingsley is capable of doing the same thing.

“I’m telling you, you get him on the field, and New England will find out quickly,” Camp said. “He’ll be one of their favorite players. I’m super excited for him and the chance he’s getting.”