2003 Football Preview: Wide Receivers
Aug 01, 2003 | Football
August 01, 2003
 Senior Jamaar Taylor, 2002's leading receiver, returns to the field along with a talented bunch of wideouts. |
Along with the quarterback position, the wide receiver corps is considered one of the strengths of the Aggie offense with seven returning lettermen in the group. The Aggies return five of the top seven receivers from last year's squad led by senior from Mission High School.
Taylor caught 44 balls for 760 yards and three touchdowns last season despite missing two games due to injury. A big and strong receiver, Taylor posted a school record three 100-yard receiving games in 2002. He had a season-high 131 yards on five catches against Kansas and he had a long reception of 82 yards against Texas Tech for a touchdown.
Another receiver who has seen a lot of playing time and caught 36 passes last season was junior from Chapel High School near Tyler. Murphy started the 2001 season when injuries hit the receiving ranks. The former high school quarterback made a nice transition and he can be counted on for big plays.
"We've got some talented receivers who have played a great deal and have caught a lot of balls," Coach Kenith Pope said. "We want to be precise in our routes and when the ball is in the air we have to go get it. There is a physical part to being a wide receiver and we want to execute in all phases of the game. We have some depth and we will run a lot of receivers into the game and show the defense a lot of different looks."
Also returning for the Aggies is , a junior from Washington High School in Houston. Thomas caught 17 balls for 166 yards and he started the two games (vs. Oklahoma and Missouri) when Jamaar Taylor was injured. Thomas also served as a return man.
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, a senior walkon from Victoria High School, caught six passes last season and continued to show the coaching staff his ability this past spring. Van Zant was also selected as the walkon representative on the Aggie Leadership Council.
, from Crockett High School, and from Klein Forest High School were true freshmen who played and earned a letter last fall. Riley caught a five-yard touchdown pass against Baylor for his only reception of the season.
, a sophomore from Katy Taylor High School is another letterman who is returning. Woods saw action in most every game but did not record a reception.
Look for sophomore from Bay City High School to make a splash this fall along with two true freshmen, from Brownwood High School and from Mission High School. Taylor is the younger brother of senior Jamaar Taylor.
STATISTICAL LEADERS - WIDE RECEIVERS - LAST 10 YEARS
Catches Yards Yards/Catch Touchdowns Long 2002 J. Taylor 44 J. Taylor 760 B. Johnson 18.0 B. Johnson 8 J. Taylor 82 2001 J. Taylor 39 T. Murphy 518 T. Murphy 14.4 Taylor,Murphy 3 J. Taylor 64 2000 R. Ferguson 58 R. Ferguson 885 D. Goynes 25.7 R. Ferguson 6 R. Ferguson 93 1999 C. Taylor 33 C. Taylor 591 B. Johnson 19.0 C. Taylor 4 C. Taylor 96 1998 C. Cole 38 C. Cole 667 C. Taylor 20.4 C. Cole 5 C. Taylor 81 1997 C. Cole 25 L. Hodge 336 L. Hodge 14.6 C. Cole 3 Cole,Hodge 41 1996 A. Connell 57 A. Connell 872 A. Oliver 17.1 A. Connell 6 A. Connell 70 1995 A. Connell 41 A. Connell 653 A. Connell 15.9 A. Connell 7 A. Connell 61 1994 R. Mathews 29 C. Sanders 422 C. Sanders 19.2 C. Sanders 4 C. Sanders 75 1993 T. Harrison 31 T. Harrison 481 T. Harrison 15.5 T. Harrison 4 T. Harrison 71
2003 Football Preview:
