The story of Vanderbilt receiver Quincy Skinner has been defined by tools that few players on Vanderbilt's roster have, flashes of excellence and injury.

Vanderbilt coach Clark Lea wants Skinner's senior season at Vanderbilt to be defined by more than that, though. Lea wants consistency at a level that he hasn't yet seen from his go-to receiver.

"Consistency would be the word," Lea said. "We know he's very talented but I'd like to see him, and this is part of growing up, just the maturity to be consistent day in and day out. I thought he had a really good summer that way."

Skinner has had Saturdays in which he looked to be a focal point of Vanderbilt's operation, but far too many in which he's posted just a catch or two. The latter occurred seven times in a 2023 season in which the junior finished with 204 yards and 20 receptions.

As Vanderbilt's 2023 receiving corps withered away in the transfer portal, it was clear; those games with one or two catches can't continue to happen at the rate they have.

Skinner knows that.

"[Be] consistent each week," Skinner said of his 2024 goal. "I just want to be the best me I can be. Go out there and dominate each matchup. Dominate each week."

That goal has come with an approach change for the Vanderbilt receiver.

It's no longer just about the on-field work for the Pompano Beach, Florida, product. There was more studying to be done for Skinner, more intentionality.

"I started stretching a lot more and taking recovery very seriously," Skinner said. "Getting in there with our strength staff, learning new things about flexibility and mobility just staying in the training room and the tubs and things like that, that I really wasn't doing. I was just focused on ball and how many catches can I get before and after practice."

Perhaps the key to a successful season for Skinner, who’s missed significant time in both of his college seasons, isn't a drastic skillset refinement; it's rest.

"My body really just needed a rest," Skinner said of the last two seasons.

Despite less production than he was capable of, those seasons that Skinner put in mean something to his head coach.

They’ve developed a connection between the pair.

"Obviously I've got a ton of affection for him. He's been one that's been with me since the jump.“

The routine will look different for Skinner in 2024, who made a declaration in the spring that the production would too, Lea knows the importance of both statements.

"Quincy's had flashes of some really great play and some brilliance in his career," Lea said. “To see him harness the skills he has and apply them consistently and to be able to step on the SEC stage and be a great ballplayer, he can do that for us this year and we're gonna need him to."