As spring football approaches, the good news for the Red Wolves on the offensive side of the ball is the abundance of senior leadership and the return of most of the yardage and catches produced in 2016.

WIDE RECEIVER

Gone but not forgotten: Kendall Sanders ‘16 Stats 38 rec / 553 yds / 7 TDs

Most Likely to Find a Starting Spot

• Dijon Paschal SR ‘16 Stats 22 rec / 308 yds / 3 TDs
• Chris Murray SR ‘16 Stats 22 rec / 327 yds / 1 TD
• Omar Bayless SOPH ‘16 Stats 13 rec / 117 yds / 1 TD

Keep an Eye on

• Sterling Stowers SR ‘16 Stats 11 rec / 82 yds / 1 TD
• Christian Booker SR ‘16 Stats 19 rec / 194 yds / 0 TD
• Justin McInnis SR ‘16 Stats 10 rec / 83 yds / 1 TD

The Wildcards

Cam Echols-Luper SR ‘16 Stats 26 rec / 407 yds / 1 TD —Should be a top returning threat but recent legal troubles off the field remain unresolved and his status for the ‘17 season is unsure at this time.

Kendrick Edwards JR 6’5 212—Sat out the 2016 season after transferring from Arkansas. In 2015 he played in five games at Arkansas, starting two of them with 4 catches for 51 yards. He was universally considered a top 100 wide receiver nationally coming out of Miami, Fl.

Jonathan Adams Jr FR 6’3” 185—Son of former ASU great Jonathan Adams. He was a 2 time all state selection at Jonesboro and was the 6A player of the year. Caught 76 balls for 1,402 yards and 26 touchdowns his senior year.

The depth and experience are there but what is not obvious is who the playmaker out of this group will be. The issues with Echols-Luper off the field may take him and his speed out of the equation and Paschal has shown he can be a consistent target but not the break away, big play guy the offense will need to stretch the field. Could it be one of the newcomers to take that spot in Edwards or Adams?

TIGHT END

One of QB Justice Hansen’s favorite targets will again anchor the tight end position in ‘17 as senior Blake Mack returns. Mack totaled 34 receptions for 652 yards and 3 touchdowns in 2016 with a whopping 19 yards per catch. Behind Mack are two players that saw playing time in 2016 but did not post a reception. Redshirt Senior Jonah Hill played in 10 games last year and spent most of the time at #2 on the depth chart. Redshirt sophomore Avery Johnson also played in 10 games last year without a catch and redshirt freshman Javonis Isaac will be seeing his second spring ball. Mack is the obvious starter coming out of spring, but the Red Wolves need to develop another playmaker at that position.