2017 Preview - The Wide Receivers

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ST_Lawson
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The countdown to kickoff continues today with the Wide Receivers...

#1 Senior Jarid Brown
#17 Senior Jaelon Acklin
#2 Junior Isaiah LeSure
#10 Sophomore Brandon Gaston
#80 Sophomore Matt Wieskamp
#85 Sophomore Spencer Beatty
#15 Redshirt Freshman Cameron Clemons
#84 Redshirt Freshman Trey Cervantes
#14 Freshman Eli Watson

Seniors
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Juniors
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Sophomores
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Redshirt Freshmen
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Freshmen
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Here’s the stats from last year for the guys who are returning this year:
Isaiah LeSure - 11 games played, 30 catches for 425 yards and 5 TDs. 38.64 ypg, 14.17 ypc.
Jaelon Acklin - 11 games played, 8 catches for 192 yards. 17.45 ypg, 24 ypc.

Players who are not returning, and their stats from last year (idk...did we lose any WRs from last year?....oh right…)
Lance Lenoir - 11 games, 76 catches for 1093 yards and 7 TDs, 99.36 ypg, 14.38 ypc.
Joey Borsellino - 11 games, 40 catches for 500 yards and 2 TDs, 45.45 ypg, 12.50 ypc.
Stacey Smith - 11 games, 2 catches for 23 yards and 1 TD, 2.09 ypg, 11.5 ypc.
J’Vaughn Williams - 11 games, 2 catches for 18 yards, 1.64 ypg, 9 ypc.

So, by most metrics, we lost the #1 receiver in Leatherneck History and the (somewhere in the range of) 3rd-5th receiver in Leatherneck History. A total of 1,593 yards and 9 TDs from last year just in those two guys. Those are some pretty big shoes to fill. The guys who are looking to fill those shoes include returning Junior Isaiah LeSure. LeSure is a solid receiver who can really get elevated to catch a ball if need be (although that can sometimes lead to possible injuries, so hopefully he avoids that issue). Senior Jaelon Acklin didn’t catch a ton last year (how could you with Lenoir and Borsellino on the field?), but his 24 yard per catch average in that limited amount seems promising. Also joining the upper classmen this year is senior transfer Jarid Brown. Brown transferred to Western after spending 4 years on Ohio University Bobcats football team. Last year he played in 9 games and had 5 catches for 49 yards. It’ll be interesting to see if he was an under-utilized FBS-level talent, or just “one of the guys” in amongst the rest of the receivers.

As for the underclassmen, none of them have seen any actual in-game action yet, since even the ones who were redshirt freshmen didn’t get on the field last year due to our talent and depth at WR. So, really everything else is just guessing. If we’re looking at guys with height, then Trey Cervantes (6’3”) is probably going to be in the mix for a decent amount of playing time. I also feel like Cameron Clemons is a phenomenal athlete overall and could make some contributions as well. But really, I think that outside of LeSure and Acklin getting in on most of the plays, the rest of the WR playing time could be anyone’s depending on how things shake out during summer practices and into the early season.

I wouldn’t say I’m too worried about the loss of Lance and Joey at this point, because I feel like having McGuire still under center, a pretty solid O-Line, and what appears to be an improved running game and TE squad will somewhat lessen the load that’s put on the receivers. It would, however, be incorrect to say that it isn’t at least a small question mark in my mind going into the season.
Scott Lawson - Board Admin
Western Illinois University Alum/Fan/Employee
Member of the Marching Leathernecks - 1996-2000
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ST_Lawson
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Joined: Wed Apr 16, 2014 1:15 pm
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Already have updates to some of the position posts. A few guys got added to the roster today...some were most likely walk-ons, some were transfers we knew about, and a couple were transfers we didn't.

On the WR front, we have:

Tony Tate - 5'8", 165lb, Sophomore from DeKalb, IL (by way of Walsh University).
Izaiah Fuller - 6'4", 200lb, Junior from Cincinnati, OH (by way of Eastern Michigan)
Scott Lawson - Board Admin
Western Illinois University Alum/Fan/Employee
Member of the Marching Leathernecks - 1996-2000
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