We lost a couple of big names last year, but we got a lot of guys in camp. What has impressed you so far with this group?
I think our play-making ability, top to bottom. I'd be hard-pressed to find a group that's better than our group one through 10. We've been pretty explosive. Now we're trying to find a
Kobe Clark replacement. It's not ideal but I feel like we've got some guys that are ready to step up and continue the legacy of ACU receivers. We've had some good ones over the years and, um, I think we've got some guys that can kind of carry the torch among the returners.
Who's turning your head right now?
I mean, you obviously start with
Tristan Golightly. He's our leading receiver from last year and, you know he's got a chance to be special. He made a lot of plays for us last year. He had a great spring and a great summer. And he's, he's hit through the ground running.
Marcayll Jones is another guy that got here in January, He started at a power five school, and he's one of our fastest players. He's really explosive.
Taelyn Williams is another guy that's going to be a really good player for us. And
Blayne Taylor. All of those guys played a lot of football for us last year. I think that they're going to just keep getting better and better.
Among the newcomers who's making an impression on you right now?
Obviously, Marcayll is newish, but
Hut Graham is explosive. He might be our fastest receiver if not one of the faster players on the team. He's good with the ball. A really savvy football player. He was a state champion quarterback, you know, he transferred in from Tech. He's been really good the last couple of weeks.
Waydale Jones, the guy that we brought in from Texas State, who's started games in the ACC at Wake Forest. He's another big, long, 6-5 kid that can run and is going to provide, some explosive play-making ability for us on the outside. Those two men, I think, add a lot of value to our team,
Who is emerging as a leader for this group?
You know, I think
Tristan Golightly and Marcayll and
Taelyn Williams. Those are the three guys that have the most experience. They are the most composed and savvy most of the time. I think guys kind of look at those guys because they practice hard and they do all the little things right. I think guys kind of follow their lead.
What have you been emphasizing in camp?
It's just the details. You know, we're long, we're fast and we've got some playmakers – pretty much anything you need. So, it's not about the athletic part. It's just making sure our assignments are perfect, and our details and techniques are as good as they should be. We're making sure we have some leadership from the group because we are deep and we are experienced. If we can get those things really, really good, we have a chance to be a good group.
You know, we get to go against some of the best DBs in the country every single day that have two really good DB coaches. And so, we get really good work out there every day at practice. I think, shoot, the practice is going to be harder than the games with the talent we got on that side of the ball. So, it's been fun. And I'm excited to watch them play.
What else do fans need to know about the receivers?
As I said, we're deep. We've got guys like
Cooper McCasland,
Dax Neece and
Denver Holman. Guys who have been here within the program and who are going to help us win games. We're excited and I hope we score a lot of touchdowns.
UP NEXT: Coach Matt Clark discusses the quarterbacks.
