Will Hastings has earned a nickname from his teammates since the former walk-on kicker busted onto the scene as a wide receiver last season.

"He's White Lightning," safety Tray Matthews said. "He's White Lightning, man. He's so quick, fast and it's hard to put your hands on him."

That was the case during Auburn's A-Day spring game on Saturday, when Hastings led all receivers with seven receptions and finished with 75 yards receiving, which was second only to Nate Craig-Myers' 154.

Hastings' performance capped a somewhat resurgent spring for the 5-foot-10, 167-pound receiver.

He got off to a surprising and quick start last season, emerging as a viable receiving option early in the year for the Tigers. Hastings had five catches for 63 yards and a touchdown through the first two weeks of the season, but he tailed off for much of the rest of the year.

Between Sept. 24 against LSU and Nov. 19 against Alabama A&M, Hastings had just one reception for a 4-yard loss, which came against Louisiana-Monroe. During that eight-game stretch, he failed to see the field twice -- on the road against Mississippi State and Ole Miss.

That lack of production and playing time, he admitted, was much of his own doing. He said earlier this spring that he "fell off" and struggled with dropped passes and missed blocks. He also vowed that wouldn't happen again this year.

"Last year he was just kind of coming onto the scene and trying to earn some playing time," quarterback Sean White said.

This spring, Hastings reemerged as an apparent favorite target of quarterback Jarrett Stidham, who targeted Hastings on eight of his 20 pass attempts on A-Day, connecting with him seven times -- including on two of the first-team offense's first three pass attempts.

"He is, definitely (a safety valve)," Matthews said. "He's a check-down receiver, but he can also threaten you on corner routes, a little seam route up the middle, Jarrett can squeeze it in there. He's definitely a shifty receiver."

Auburn receiver Will Hastings (33) runs the ball Saturday, April 8, 2017, during the A-Day spring football game at Jordan-Hare Stadium in Auburn, Ala. (Julie Bennett/jbennett@al.com)

Hastings' small stature has been to his benefit this spring, according to Matthews, who noted that Hastings can be more difficult to keep up with than a receiver like 6-foot-2, 218-pound redshirt freshman Marquis McClain.

While McClain, who had two receptions for 73 yards -- including a 69-yard touchdown from walk-on quarterback Devin Adams -- on A-Day, has impressive straight-line speed, he doesn't have the "wiggle" that Hastings displays on his routes.

"Big receivers, you can put your hands on them, you can bump, you can get a re-route, but with Will, he'll give you a little wiggle and squeeze past you," Matthews said. "He's just got a little sneaky speed."

Matthews believes that Hastings' big spring will "honestly" result in a big season for the former kicker this fall, especially as new offensive coordinator Chip Lindsey looks to find more balance in an offense than ran the ball 69.1 percent of the time in 2016. Matthews isn't the only Auburn player to hold that belief, either.

"I think now he can really develop into being like a great receiver in the league," White said. "As a slot receiver, I know he's not that big, but he's quick and fast and he just knows how to get open. He can really catch the ball and makes plays, so I think he'll be a big part of the offense."