Too slow.
ASU wide receiver Derek Hagan and Oregon State wideout Mike Hass must have heard those two words a million times by now.
Coming out of high school, the stigma associated with that label cost Hass a scholarship and almost sent Hagan to football weakling UNLV.
But neither paid much attention to it, and both are now record-setting receivers for their respective teams.
"They're playmakers," Oregon State coach Mike Riley said. "You can talk about everything you want about receivers, but in the end it's making a play. And they both do that."
It's not like Hass was an unknown name coming out of high school. He had 79 receptions for 1,739 yards and 21 touchdowns his senior season. He was named The Oregonian's 4A Player of the Year.
But still, the label was there.
Hass couldn't even garner a scholarship offer from Division II Portland State. So he walked on to Oregon State, rose from fifth-string tight end to top receiver, and currently ranks second in the nation in receiving yards per game.
He didn't get his scholarship until his third year with the Beavers.
"He was basically in the same situation I was in," Hagan said. "He didn't get recruited too much, but he walked on to Oregon State and he's turned everything around."
In the first three games, Hass is averaging 165.3 yards receiving per game and 9.7 receptions. He and Hagan have both averaged 72 yards receiving per game in their careers.
The path Hagan took was similar. He entered the Sun Devil program a virtual unknown before eventually vaulting himself into elite wide receiver status.
"I had to come in and work hard, and I saw I could make a statement," Hagan said. "I was behind Shaun McDonald and Skyler Fulton, and I learned a whole lot from them. Basically, a lot of things I learned from them I transferred over to my game, and it's been working out great for me."
Hagan is ASU's all-time leader in receptions with 196, passing John Jefferson against LSU. He is also in reach of the school records for touchdown catches and receiving yards.
Hagan and Hass will hit the field on Saturday when the No. 18 Sun Devils travel to Oregon State.
Reach the reporter at kyle.odegard@asu.edu.
