Posted on November 5, 2020
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This year’s Wildcat wide receiving corps has a nice mix of veterans and young players. Four out of Arizona’s top five receivers from a season ago return to a new and improved offense with Grant Gunnell under center.
The Veterans
Redshirt sophomore Jamarye Joiner was Arizona’s leading receiver in 2019 with 34 receptions, 552 yards, and scoring five touchdowns. Throughout the start of camp his coaches and teammates have been raving about him and he sounded very confident with improving his game this season.
Brian Casteel, a season ago led the Wildcats in receptions where he hauled in 45 balls for nearly 400 yards. He is a nice compliment to Joiner who helped mentor their fellow young receiving teammates this season.
Tayvian Cunningham doesn’t have great size at 5-foot-10, but brings enough speed on the outside to showcase Gunnell’s ability to throw the deep ball. Going into his second season in the Arizona offense, he’s expected to take on an increased role, given his extra two seasons of experience at Sacramento City College.
The young guys
Tre Adams, a 6-4, 195-pound redshirt sophomore should prove valuable this season in RedZone situations, despite playing in only eight games his first two seasons, without catching a ball. He showed his potential in high school, however, having logged a thousand-yard season as a senior with 13 touchdowns. He’s a likely candidate to transfer if he isn’t given a chance this season.
Jalen Johnson played in 10 games as a true freshman and showed flashes of effectiveness, catching seven passes for 79 yards and a touchdown, leading many to believe he can develop into a starter over the next few years.
Last but not least is Boobie (Jalen) Curry, who played in nine games as a freshman, but had issues with his shoulder all season. Consequently, he did not look like the four-star recruit the Wildcats thought they were getting.
He has a chance to really shine this year, having played his high school football with Gunnell. The pair was electric in Texas, with Boobie hauling in 122 receptions for 1,576 yards and 18 touchdowns in his breakout season. Curry is the perfect piece to help build the offense around Grant. He is fast, and has great leaping ability to catch balls over defenders.
Final Question
This is one that Arizona football fans have been asking themselves for years: Why don’t the Wildcats use their tight ends more?
Senior tight end Bryce Wolma was recently named a team captain because of his leadership and not complaining when not seeing targets. Over the last two seasons he has only caught the ball eight times. I believe Gunnell and Kevin Sumlin will look to integrate the position more in the offense this season, which may come as a surprise to defenses, at least early on.
You can watch Wohl’s related Wildcat Dash Sports Talk Show on Dash Sports TV, and read his other sports articles at the Daily Wildcat.
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Wohl: Breaking down Arizona’s New and Improved Receiving Corps
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