Welcome to the third part of the series where each position for the Ragin Cajuns is broken down. This week is the wide receivers.
Who Left After Last Season?
The wide receiver position only saw one player leave the team, but it’s a big loss. After five years, Jamal Robinson is no longer with the Ragin Cajuns. Robinson has been the all-star in that position pretty much every year he donned the Vermillion and White.
Who’s Returning From Last Season?
There’s quite a few players returning from last season, but let’s look mainly the players who saw the field in 2015 since there were eight freshmen on the squad in 2015. Al Riles has spent a good chunk of his time as a Ragin Cajun as the number two wideout behind Robinson. If there’s a candidate for a player to fill those very big shoes, it has to be Riles at this point. A close competitor has to be senior Devin Scott. His work load has increased slightly between 2014 and 2015, and you can expect his role to increase even more in 2016. By process of elimination, Gabe Fuselier has to be the ideal third wideout in the depth chart. Jared Johnson has a lot of potential to be a backup wide receiver or an occasional four receiver set, but Fuselier has a better shot at being the third man based off what he’s done in the past.
The Other Guys
I left out one notable player that could perhaps start in 2016 and leave either Fuselier or Johnson on the bench. That has to be Mississippi State transfer Shelby Christy. The Geismar, Louisiana native was a three star recruit coming out of Dutchtown, but suffered a torn ACL in 2014. That injury could wind up making him a second string player, but if he shows that he is recovered and ready to go, he has potential to play spoiler. Expect Keenan Barnes to also have a potential role in the receiving corps as a sophomore.
Conclusion
The wide receiver position has a lot of returning players and has a ton of potential especially with the potential addition of Anthony Jennings to the Cajuns squad. With all that being said, the Cajuns haven’t been a team that relies on the pass and like to run first. So the numbers probably won’t show how important the wideouts are in 2016, but the primary targets should have an effect in how the team plays in 2016. Will there be a paradigm shift in how the Cajuns play offensively with a new offensive coordinator and a big name transfer QB? Possibly, but there will have to be a dedication to changing things if they want to take the leap.
-Clint Domingue
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