One of the most intriguing stories in college football last season was San Jose State wide receiver Nick Nash’s rise from a relatively unknown player to one of the most productive pass catchers in the country.
At one point last fall, Nash, a former quarterback, led the entire country in receptions, receiving yards, and receiving touchdowns. He finished the season No. 1 in the nation with 16 touchdown catches and No. 2 with 104 catches and 1,382 receiving yards. Only Bowling Green tight end Harold Fannin Jr. had more receptions and yards.
Nash parlayed his final season of college into an undrafted free agent deal with the NFL’s Atlanta Falcons.
The Mountain West lost a talented crop of receivers to the NFL earlier this year, including Colorado State’s Tory Horton, Utah State’s Jalen Royals, and UNLV’s Ricky White. But the cupboard is far from bare at the position.
Here are a few pass catchers who have the potential to have breakout seasons this year.
Nick Cenacle & Pofele Ashlock, Hawaii
The Rainbow Warriors ranked No. 2 in the Mountain West with 480 pass attempts and No. 3 with 3,219 passing yards last season. Starting quarterback Brayden Schager is gone, but Hawaii returns the bulk of a deep class of wide receivers, including its top two pass catchers, Cenacle and Ashlock.
Cenacle, a 6-foot-2 senior, led the team and ranked No. 5 in the Mountain West with 63 catches last season. He also led the Rainbow Warriors with 721 receiving yards and tied Ashlock with a team-high six touchdown catches. Ashlock, a 6-2 junior, was No. 2 on the team with 61 catches and 629 receiving yards.
Jordan Napier, San Diego State
Napier put together a three-game stretch late last season that Aztec fans are hoping translates to big things this year. The 6-1 sophomore caught eight passes for 79 yards and a touchdown against Boise State, nabbed a career-high nine passes for 63 yards the following week against New Mexico, and followed that with five grabs in a road game at UNLV. He led San Diego State with four touchdown catches last season, including a 53-yard scoring strike against Wyoming.
Jaylen Sargent, Wyoming
The Cowboys aren’t historically known for their high-powered passing attack, but Sargent is doing his best to change that. He was a big play waiting to happen last fall. The 6-2 senior racked up 186 receiving yards in a win over New Mexico, which is the most by a Wyoming player in a single game since 2012. He hauled in a 70-yard touchdown catch against San Diego State two weeks later. Sargent caught 23 passes and averaged 20.9 yards per catch last season.
Chris Marshall, Boise State
Marshall’s first season with the Broncos didn’t go as planned. The former five-star recruit hoped to rejuvenate his career last fall. Instead, injuries prevented him from playing in all but four games, and he finished the season with just three catches. The 6-3, 211-pound redshirt junior has an NFL frame, and his ability to make contested catches flashed often in practice last year. He should benefit from another year of developing chemistry with quarterback Maddux Madsen, but what Marshall needs to help him have a breakout season is for another Boise State receiver to emerge as a consistent threat so defenses have to focus on multiple players.
Josiah Freeman, Fresno State
The Bulldogs’ passing game was gutted by the transfer portal. Quarterback Mikey Keene left for Michigan, and two of his top targets, Jalen Moss (Arizona State) and Raylen Sharpe (Arkansas), jumped ship, too. The team’s leading receiver, Mac Dalena, signed an undrafted free agent deal with the Kansas City Chiefs.
Freeman is one of the few holdovers from last season’s group, but he has the experience and explosiveness to emerge as one of the best in the Mountain West. The 6-3 senior appeared in just four games last year before suffering a season-ending injury, but he hauled in two touchdowns, which was good enough to rank No. 4 on the team.
