ULM Spring Football Spotlight: Wide Receivers

Football Mar 08

By Paul Letlow, ULMWarhawks.com Online Columnist

MONROE, La. – ULM's third spring football practice was a wrap, yet a handful of players remained on the field taking bonus reps

Upon closer inspection, there was a positional pattern. Most of the athletes were wide receivers, catching passes from junior college transfer quarterback Jeremy Hunt. A few too many balls hit the ground during the regular session, so they volunteered to stick around to haul in a few more targets.

"We're all out there to get better this year, and that's a fact," fifth-year senior Jonathan Hodoh said. "It's a consistency thing, getting timing with the QBs. We're out here doing the best we can."

Second-year receivers coach Joey Fitzgerald wasn't surprised to see his guys still toiling on the turf. It's been a common theme for them this offseason.

"They've done a good job coming out here in the winter when we were on the road recruiting," Fitzgerald said. "As you can see right now, practice is over and they're still out here throwing. Leading up to spring ball, they got together on Tuesdays and Thursdays. Once spring ball is over, they'll do the same and have all summer to throw, and then fall camp. By the time the season rolls around, they should all be on the same page, and they should be a good group. "

It's another year where opportunities are there for the receivers who catch on quickly. ULM"s top receiver from 2019 was fifth-year senior Markis McCray, plus the Warhawks will have a new starting quarterback now that Caleb Evans has exhausted his eligibility.

"We lost Markis McCray, who was our leading receiver, but we've got a lot of guys back that played a lot of snaps for us as well," Fitzgerald said. "We've got Jonathan Hodoh, Brandius Batiste and Zach Jackson, who have all played a significant amount of snaps. Perry Carter and Malik Jackson both played in the slot for us too. Chandler Whitfield actually played the first four games as well.

"We've got some depth on both sides. Jahquan Bloomfield played a little bit on the outside toward the end of the season and he came on.

"We've got a lot of depth with CJ Fletcher and Jordan Carroll, who redshirted for us last year because of transfer rules. Then we signed Jevin Frett out of Monroe Junior College to add some depth. Shamar Johnson redshirted last year and Will Derrick's been doing some good things in the slot. We've got a lot of depth and a lot of guys who played snaps for us last year, and we're counting on them to take the next step."

The elder statesman in the group, Hodoh is also the top returning target among the receivers after recording 38 catches for 453 yards and three touchdowns in 2019. He set career highs in all three statistical categories a year ago.

"What stands out to me this year is our chemistry," Hodoh said. "There's a definitely a bond that's been forming with this group more than other groups I've been a part of. I feel like we're all close, no matter where we are. We're always together and doing something together."

Batiste saw his season cut short to four games last year with an ankle injury. Before going down, he had seven catches for 112 yards.

"I feel better," Batiste said. "Everything is good and I'm just getting back into shape. I haven't really had a practice since Week 4. I'm getting my body back into shape."

McCray operated out of the slot, where Perry Carter Jr. (15 catches for 305 yards) is a potential next man up.

"He's the one who played the most, but all of them played," Fitzgerald said. "They're having pretty good competition. If we had to play a game right now, it would be Perry."

Red-shirt junior Zach Jackson (30 catches for 392 yards and 1 TD) is a strong candidate to see a boost in productivity. Malik Jackson caught 11 passes for 83 yards. Bloomfield made three catches for 50 yards and Whitfield had six receptions for 28 yards.

"We're going to do it as a group," Batiste said. "Everybody will have their role."

Frett is the only true newcomer to the mix. The 6-foot-3, 195-pound wide receiver from Monroe College in New Rochelle, New York, caught 36 passes for 761 yards and eight touchdowns last season and recorded four 100-yard receiving games as a sophomore

"Coming out of high school, he was a national track guy," Fitzgerald said. "He ran the 400 and made the national meet, so he's got the speed, and he's got really strong hands. He looks the part. We've just got to get him up to speed with the playbook. Him being new, it's moving fast for him. All these other guys have been in this system, one, two, or three years. Hodoh's been here for five years. That's the only thing slowing Jevin down at all."

ULM fans are watching the quarterback battle closely this spring, with Colby Suits and Hunt the frontrunners. The receivers know their success will be tied to the new trigger man too.

"Right now, Colby is the man," Batiste said. "But I think as Hunt learns the offense, it will be a competition later on by fall camp. Right now, Colby is the guy."

Said Hodoh: "It's an interesting situation this year. They've got to rely on us and we have to rely on them."

This positional spotlight is part of a continuing spring series you can find at ULMWarhawks.com.

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ULM Spring Football Spotlight: Wide Receivers