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The University of Utah Athletics
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The Lowdown: Wide Receivers
7/10/2018 11:24 AM | Football
This summer, UtahUtes.com will feature "The Lowdown" on each position group on the field. With the graduation of Darren Carrington II, the Utah wide receiver corps will need to fill a big hole in 2018, but with four returners from 2017 and Britain Covey coming back from his church mission, the Utah offense looks to be explosive.
THE LOWDOWN: WIDE RECEIVERS
Speed, size, athleticism, length. Those are all words to describe the 2018 Utah wide receivers. With a recruiting emphasis on receivers the past few years, the payout will be evident this fall with talented underclassmen filling the two deep.
"We've worked hard in recruiting to address our needs at this position and we feel we have put together a receiving corps with both talent and big play capability," head coach Kyle Whittingham said. "We are excited about getting Britain back from his LDS mission and feel defenses won't be able to key on him with the talent surrounding him."
Fans will see the return of Britain Covey (5-8, 170, So.), Utah's leading receiver in 2015 when he was a Freshman All-American. The Provo, Utah, native led the team in receptions (43) and receiving yards (519) in 2015, also starting as a punt return specialist (11.7 yards per return) to earn All-Pac-12 honorable mention.
Countering Covey's speedy and shiftiness will be the length of Samson Nacua (6-3, 195, So.), Siaosi Mariner (6-2, 193, Jr.) and Bryan Thompson (6-2, 205, So.). Nacua started six games last season as a redshirt freshman, racking up 29 receptions for 294 yards (1 TD) while Mariner was a frequent target for Tyler Huntley averaging a team-best 19.6 yards per catch (20 receptions, 320 yards).
Thompson played in 12 games with one start as a true freshman last year, recording five receptions for 77 yards. Rounding out Utah's returning starters will be slot back Demari Simpkins (5-10, 184, Jr.) who will add a spark for the Utes after putting up 354 receiving yards on 29 catches in 2017.
Redshirt freshman Bronson Boyd (6-0, 190) starred for the scout teams in 2017 while sitting out a mandatory year of competition after transferring from Texas Tech. The newcomer was an all-state receiver for The Oakridge School in Arlington, Texas and was ranked at the No. 21 receiver in Texas coming out of high school.
Another newcomer for Utah fans to keep an eye on this fall will be four-star recruit Solomon Enis (6-3, 193) out of Phoenix, Ariz. The two-time all-region and all-district selection was the No. 2 overall recruit in Arizona and No. 47 receiver nationally.
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THE LOWDOWN: WIDE RECEIVERS
Speed, size, athleticism, length. Those are all words to describe the 2018 Utah wide receivers. With a recruiting emphasis on receivers the past few years, the payout will be evident this fall with talented underclassmen filling the two deep.
"We've worked hard in recruiting to address our needs at this position and we feel we have put together a receiving corps with both talent and big play capability," head coach Kyle Whittingham said. "We are excited about getting Britain back from his LDS mission and feel defenses won't be able to key on him with the talent surrounding him."
Fans will see the return of Britain Covey (5-8, 170, So.), Utah's leading receiver in 2015 when he was a Freshman All-American. The Provo, Utah, native led the team in receptions (43) and receiving yards (519) in 2015, also starting as a punt return specialist (11.7 yards per return) to earn All-Pac-12 honorable mention.
Countering Covey's speedy and shiftiness will be the length of Samson Nacua (6-3, 195, So.), Siaosi Mariner (6-2, 193, Jr.) and Bryan Thompson (6-2, 205, So.). Nacua started six games last season as a redshirt freshman, racking up 29 receptions for 294 yards (1 TD) while Mariner was a frequent target for Tyler Huntley averaging a team-best 19.6 yards per catch (20 receptions, 320 yards).
Thompson played in 12 games with one start as a true freshman last year, recording five receptions for 77 yards. Rounding out Utah's returning starters will be slot back Demari Simpkins (5-10, 184, Jr.) who will add a spark for the Utes after putting up 354 receiving yards on 29 catches in 2017.
Redshirt freshman Bronson Boyd (6-0, 190) starred for the scout teams in 2017 while sitting out a mandatory year of competition after transferring from Texas Tech. The newcomer was an all-state receiver for The Oakridge School in Arlington, Texas and was ranked at the No. 21 receiver in Texas coming out of high school.
Another newcomer for Utah fans to keep an eye on this fall will be four-star recruit Solomon Enis (6-3, 193) out of Phoenix, Ariz. The two-time all-region and all-district selection was the No. 2 overall recruit in Arizona and No. 47 receiver nationally.
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