Tulane Football Positional Preview: Wide Receivers

NEW ORLEANS – The Tulane University wide receiver’s unit will provide Green Wave quarterbacks with a wide variety of options this fall. The 19-member group has size, speed, height and most of all depth which has translated into a great amount of competition throughout fall camp.

THE UNIT
• Tulane’s wide receiver unit features 12 freshman, three sophomores, two juniors and two seniors.
• Green Wave receivers finished 2020 with 113 receptions for 1,585 yards and 16 touchdowns.
• Tulane returns 83 percent of its receiving yards from a year ago.
• Leading wide receivers Duece Watts and Jha’Quan Jackson both return for 2021 after they both hauled in 31 receptions in 2020.
• Watts led the team with 512 receiving yards, while Jackson caught eight touchdowns to lead the team last year.
• Duece Watts’ twin brother Phat finished fourth on the team in receiving yards with 217.
• Tulane also returns Christian Daniels, Tyrek Presley, Matthew Redmond, Reed Rutkowski, Ryan Thompson and Jaetavian Toles.
• Over the offseason, Tulane welcomed transfers Shae Wyatt (Central Missouri) and Cyron Sutton (McNeese State).
• Wyatt was a Division II Second Team All-American after he hauled in 1,412 yards receiving and 12 touchdowns in two seasons at Central Missouri.

• Sutton finished his career at McNeese State with 114 career receptions (sixth all-time), 1,688 career yards and 14 career touchdown catches.

• Eight true freshman joined the unit this season – Luke Besh, Bryce Bohanon, Lucas Desjardins, Trevor Evans, T.J. Huggins, Michael Lavergne, Jeff Nwankwo and Jackson Portis-Escoto.
• Huggins and Bohanon both earned three-star ratings from 247Sports.com.

OF NOTE
• Jha’Quan Jackson was selected as a Pro Football Focus Preseason All-American. He also earned preseason all-conference recognition from Phil Steele and Athlon Sports.
• In addition, Jackson was named to the Hornung Award Watch List.
• Duece Watts earned preseason all-league honors from Phil Steele and Athlon Sports.
• Seven of Tulane’s wide receivers stand 6 foot, 2 inches or taller. Jeff Nwankwo is the tallest receiver on the team, as he stands 6 foot, 6 inches.

WIDE RECEIVERS COACH JEFF CONWAY ON THE UNIT
“We’ve got better competition then we’ve ever had. With some of the teams we’ve had in the past, there was a pretty clear difference between some of the starters within the unit. Our depth chart is changing almost every day which is always a good thing because it creates competition.”

Tulane opens the 2021 season against Oklahoma, with kickoff scheduled for 11 a.m. on Saturday, September 4. The game will be aired nationally on ABC. The Green Wave return to 16 starters and 53 letterwinners.

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