Position Group Breakdowns: Wide Receivers

Photo by: Manny Flores

4/9/2020 1:00:00 PM | Football

DENTON – The Mean Green receiving corps is one of the most talented and explosive groups within the program. 2020 marks the first time the group will be working with a new starting quarterback under head coach Seth Littrell and associate head coach/co-offensive coordinator and receivers coach Tommy Mainord. We take a deep dive into the wide receivers room in this edition of position group breakdowns.

"I'm very excited about this group coming back," Mainord said. "We have great leadership with our seniors Jaelon [Darden] and Deion [Hair-Griffin] and a lot of younger guys that have the talent to do big things. I'm also very excited about the two incoming freshmen coming in.

"We are all right now just focusing on everyone and their families staying safe during these unique times, making sure we are on top of our academics and working out independently as much as we can. The hard part is just not being able to see them. We have a great room of people that pull for one another and is a very close-knit group. We are making sure we get together using technology to stay connected. I know without having spring ball, the receivers are hungry to get back out there as soon as they can. They are a group of men that love to compete and love [the game of] football. I can't wait to get back out there and watch them succeed. It should be a lot of fun once the season gets started."

Outgoing:
Three receivers from last season's roster have moved on, two of which graduated, and another who decided to enter the transfer portal.

The Mean Green see a major piece in slot receiver Michael Lawrence graduate after a stellar career in Denton. Originally a preferred walk-on, Lawrence earned a scholarship and a shot to compete at the next level with his productive career at UNT. Lawrence finished his career with 143 receptions (ninth most in program history) for 1,929 yards (12^th in program history) and nine touchdowns, averaging 13.5 yards per catch across 46 career appearances. The Sweetwater, Texas, native was the team's second-leading receiver in 2019, after he caught 48 passes for 661 yards and three touchdowns.

In addition to Lawrence, Dennis Smith has graduated as well. Smith, originally a transfer from Sterling College. Smith made one appearance and had one career catch for the Mean Green.

The third and final outgoing player from the 2019 team is Rico Bussey, Jr., who entered his name in the transfer portal. Bussey had a very productive career for the Mean Green, hauling in 128 career receptions for 1,941 yards (ninth in program history) and 21 touchdowns (tied for fourth in program history). Bussey appeared in just three games in 2019 before suffering a season-ending injury in the game at California in September. Bussey had five catches for 150 yards and a score this past season.

New Faces:
There are just two new names in the wide receivers room, both of which will join the program in the fall.

Detraveon Brown – freshman (arriving in the fall) – Shreveport, Louisiana (Northwood HS)
Brown was a late surprise commitment during the February signing period and was rated a three-star prospect by 247Sports and was the No. 43 player out of the state of Louisiana. He made 37 appearances at Northwood High School and totaled 151 receptions for 2,568 yards and 46 touchdowns. As a senior, Brown was named to the Louisiana Sports Writers Association all-state honorable mention team after catching 57 passes for 904 yards and 20 touchdowns in 2019. Brown, who measures at 5'11" and 178 pounds, was a highly-sought after prospect who at times held offers from Colorado State, Houston, Kansas, Kentucky, Louisiana, Louisiana Tech, Louisiana-Monroe, Ole Miss, South Alabama, Southern Miss and UT San Antonio.

Loronzo Thompson – freshman (arriving in the fall) – Friendswood, Texas (Clear Brook HS)
Thompson, like Brown, was rated a three-star prospect by 247Sports and ESPN. Thompson came in at No. 76 on Vype Houston's Hot 100 List for the 2020 class and was named Second Team All-District 24-6A following his senior season. The 6'0", 160-pound receiver was a two-time letter winner at Clear Brook High School and had 96 catches for 1,191 yards and 15 total touchdowns (12 receiving) in two varsity seasons. He made 10 appearances as a senior and caught 42 passes for 578 yards and six touchdowns and tacked on 99 yards rushing and another two scores.

Returners:
#1 Jaelon Darden – senior – Houston, Texas (Eisenhower HS)
Darden, a 2019 first team all-conference selection by the league's 14 head coaches, led the Mean Green in every major receiving category and was among the nation's most productive receivers. The junior finished with 76 receptions for 736 yards and 12 touchdowns. His 12 receiving scores ranked 12^th in FBS (his 12 touchdowns were three more than anyone else in the conference), and he ranked 21^st in the country in receptions per game (6.3). Darden tied for the most three-touchdown games by any receiver in the country with two.

Darden is fourth in program history in single season receiving touchdowns and his 76 catches tied for fifth-most in a single season in program history (John Love, 1965). Darden concluded his junior season with 156 career catches, which ranks sixth in program history, and his 19 career touchdowns are seventh in program history. An explosive talent from the slot, Darden enters 2020 as the lone senior among a deep receiving corps and will look to continue to build on his fantastic career in Denton.

"I'm most excited to see our group translate what we learn off the field and then apply it [on-field]. We have worked very hard in the weight room and it has given us an opportunity to help take our game to another level. I believe that we can be great, as long as we stick to our training and do it at the level we are supposed to.

"My role [as a leader] is to pass on the knowledge to help others behind me. I've taken a big role on to get to know my whole position group and gain their trust through my work ethic and how I come to work every day ready to attack the day. This has created a bond where when things are going badly, we can lean on one another. I've stressed to them how we have to be behind everyone so we can be the team we want to be moving forward.

"Everyone in our group knows that when it's time to come back, we will be more dialed in than ever, which is why I can't wait for the season. If we come to work every day with high energy, we can be very special."

#16 Jyaire Shorter – redshirt sophomore – Killeen, Texas (Killeen HS)
Shorter, an all-freshman team and all-conference honorable mention selection in 2019 by the 14 Conference USA head coaches, had a monster season for the Mean Green. Shorter ranked second in C-USA in receiving touchdowns, with nine. That tied 32^nd nationally and he also finished with 24 receptions for 473 yards to go along with those nine scores. His 19.71 yards per reception ranked 14^th in the country and was third in C-USA. The physical receiver carried several defensive backs into the end zone in a series of highlight plays and scored a touchdown on an eye-popping 37.5% of his catches.

"I feel like the group we've got now might be closer than any other group we've had before. A strength that is really helping me out is JD [Jaelon Darden] pushing us each and every day to get better and not let anybody outwork the wide receivers group and emphasizing that we will be the hardest working group at all times. He is just pushing us to get better and I feel like it helps keep us going and stick together. We all have one goal and that is to bring a championship to this program and with JD in my ear every day pushing us, that makes me and everybody else work harder. I don't really talk that much and I try to lead by example, so that when people see my giving my all, that makes them do the same, so I just feel like our wide receiver group can and will be special."

#9 Deonte Simpson – sophomore – Beaumont, Texas (West Brook HS)
Simpson made quite the impact as a true freshman in 2019, eventually earning a spot in the rotation on the outside. The 6'0", 186-pound receiver caught 18 passes for 240 yards with a pair of touchdowns in nine appearances, one of which was a start. Simpson flashed his potential as a playmaker on the outside during the homecoming win over UTEP in November, catching two passes for 53 yards, both of which were scores. He will be wearing a new number this season, switching to No. 9 from No. 84.

"I feel as if the wide receiver group has one of the strongest bonds on the team. We all know what the task at hand is and every day we push each other to the limits because we all have the same goals in mind – to win a championship and go on to play at the next level."

#14 Greg White – redshirt junior – Riverdale, Georgia (Riverdale HS)
White has shown a lot of potential as an outside receiver during his time on campus and has another opportunity to showcase the growth he has made in 2020. At 6'3" and 198 pounds, White provides his quarterbacks a big target, especially in the red zone. White appeared in all 12 games in 2019 and caught 20 passes for 265 yards, averaging 13.2 yards per reception. He has a total of 27 grabs for 352 yards thus far in his career.

#82 Deion Hair-Griffin – redshirt senior – Fort Worth, Texas (Arlington Heights HS)
Hair-Griffin has incredible speed, which has been showcased primarily in the kick return game, where he is among the nation's elite (more on that at a later date when we explore the special teams group). He has shown an ability to contribute out of the slot or on the outside, and caught seven passes for 70 yards in 2019. Hair-Griffin has eight catches for 73 yards in 23 career appearances, but should see an increase in workload at the position during his senior season.

"We feel like we can be the best [wide receiver unit] in our conference. We have a first-team all-conference player in our room in JD, an all-freshman player in our conference in Jyaire [Shorter] and we have size and speed [all over]. We're a family. We're brothers. Expectations for our group is high, but that isn't coming from media members, coaches or even fans – that's coming from inside our own room. We know what we have in there and we push each other to be our best because when everybody is at their best, we will win games."

#18 Austin Ogunmakin – redshirt sophomore – Alief, Texas (Hastings HS)
Ogunmakin saw his first game action during the 2019 season, catching six passes for 88 yards in eight appearances. At 6'3" and 195 pounds, Ogunmakin offers another big target for Mean Green signal-callers. A three-star prospect (according to the 247Sports Composite ranking system. As a senior at Hastings High School, Ogunmakin caught 45 passes for 698 yards, 11 touchdowns and also ran for two more in eight appearances on his way to District 23-6A Most Valuable Player honors. Much like White, Ogunmakin has a great opportunity to exhibit his growth within Littrell and Mainord's system and earn more playing time heading into the 2020 season. Ogunmakin, a multi-sport athlete while in high school (also competed in long and triple jump on the track and field team), provides some great athleticism as an outside receiver for UNT.

#24 Roderic Burns – redshirt sophomore – Houston, Texas (Lamar HS)
Burns made his Mean Green debut in 2019 and caught a pair of passes for 19 yards in his two appearances. Burns has experience as a slot receiver in the Mean Green offense and is looking to earn some more time on the field in 2020. As a senior at Lamar High School, Burns caught 18 passes for 321 yards and five touchdowns, while also rushing for 120 yards on just 10 carries with two more scores on the ground.

#81 Kealon Jackson – redshirt freshman – Pearland, Texas (Shadow Creek HS)
Jackson redshirted during his first season on campus in Denton. Jackson was a three-star prospect according to 247Sports, ESPN and Rivals. He was highly sought-after, holding offers at one point from West Virginia, Houston, Florida Atlantic, Hawaii, Kansas, Louisiana, Louisiana-Monroe, Southern Miss, South Alabama, Tulsa and UNLV. As a senior at Shadow Creek High School, Jackson had 51 catches for 871 yards with seven touchdowns and also returned a pair of punts for touchdowns. According to HUDL, Jackson was clocked at 4.41 in the 40-yard dash as a senior. An explosive talent, Jackson also excelled as a sprinter in high school and will have a terrific opportunity to fight for a spot in the rotation.

#83 Damon Ward, Jr. – redshirt freshman – Beaumont, Texas (West Brook HS)
Ward redshirted in 2019, his first year as a member of the program. Ward, a high school teammate of Deonte Simpson, was also a three-star prospect according to 247Sports, ESPN and Rivals and was a consensus top-200 receiver nationally. He missed the majority of his senior season, appearing in just two games, posting three catches for 40 yards. Ward is another athletic option for the Mean Green, and was also a multi-sport athlete, competing in the long and triple jump.

#19 Deven Langston – redshirt sophomore – Mansfield, Texas (Lake Ridge HS)
Langston, a former high school teammate of quarterback Jason Bean, appeared in six games in 2019 for the Mean Green following a redshirt year in 2018. As a senior at Lake Ridge, Langston hauled in 24 catches for 367 yards and four touchdowns and 17 receptions for 160 yards as a junior.

#22 Calen Mayfield – redshirt sophomore – Garland, Texas (Lakeview Centennial HS)
Mayfield made his collegiate debut in the season finale in 2019 after redshirting in 2018. At Lakeview Centennial High School as a senior, Mayfield had 43 receptions for 521 yards and nine touchdowns.

#20 David Chapple – redshirt sophomore – North Little Rock, Arkansas (North Little Rock HS)
Chapple has not yet appeared for the Mean Green. A former high school teammate of Mean Green running back Oscar Adaway III, Chapple spent a lot of time working with the scout team effectively in 2019 at UNT.

#25 Trey Henderson – redshirt freshman – Katy, Texas (Cinco Ranch HS)
Henderson redshirted during his first season on campus after walking on in Denton. In nine appearances as a senior, Henderson posted 483 total yards of offense with a pair of touchdowns at Cinco Ranch High School.

#26 Thomas Clancy – redshirt senior – Solihull, England (Austin College)
Clancy did not appear last season for the Mean Green, his first season on campus in Denton. Before he arrived in Denton, Clancy appeared in 16 games over two seasons for the 'Roos of Austin College, posting 37 catches for 433 yards and two touchdowns, while also carrying 26 times for 58 yards and another touchdown.