CONWAY, Ark. _ What the University of Central Arkansas receiving corps lacks in familiarity, it makes up for in talent, says Bears' head coach Nathan Brown.

    "I think we have a lot of talent,' said Brown. "I think we're in good hands. Obviously we lack some experience in just total catches (returning), but it's not from a lack of talent. I think we're as talented in that room as we've been in a long time. We just have to continue to grow and mature those kids and get them on the same page as our quarterbacks and understand what we're trying to accomplish.'

    Easily the most experienced returnee is junior Brandon Myers (6-foot-3, 210 pounds) from Plant City, Fla. Myers has 40 career catches _ which 10 of those for touchdowns _ for 771 yards. He had 21 receptions for 484 yards (third on the team) with a 23.0 yards-per-catch average a year ago.     

    "I think we have  a lot of talent, and it starts with Brandon Myers being our most experienced receiver,' said Brown. "Going on his third year, I really thing you're going to see a drastic jump in his production and him being a focal point in what we are trying to accomplish. He has all the physical tools and traits to be one of the great receivers in this league.

    "He possesses unbelievable physical talent but he can also really run. And he's a very smart kid. It's evident by his big-play ability over the past two years. What you just want to see him take the next step in now is consistency, to be the No. 1 guy we think he can be.'

    The Bears lost four of their top five receivers, statistically, from the 2018 team, which totaled more than 100 receptions. The other top returnees are sophomore Lujuan Winningham (6-3, 190) and junior Joe Hampton (6-2, 185). Winningham caught 12 passes for 158 yards and a touchdown while Hampton had four receptions for 102 yards.

    "There's talent in that room,' said Brown. "You look at guys like Lujuan. I'm really looking foward to him stepping up. Maybe one of the more talented receivers that we've had in that room in a long time. It's just a matter of getting him out there and letting him do it when the lights are on. That will be exciting to watch. I think he's matured a lot between his second and third year in this system.

    "And Joe needs to have a big year. He is probably our fastest receiver, just his ability to get down the field and be a big-play threat is going to be key for us.

    "And there are two more guys who I think need to step up as well and that's (sophomore) Kylan Robinson (6-2, 180) and (junior transfer) Dwight Blakey (5-9, 180). Kylan is an outside receiver with a ton of ability and talent. And I really like what Dwight brings to us. He might be the guy that makes us tick this year as an offense. He's very, very explosive. We can do a lot of different things with him. And he has an unbelievable competitive side to him that's going to get him a long way. He's a special player.

    "Dwight is very similar, mentality wise, to the way Desmond Smith was. He's going to have a refuse to lose mentality. His body type is different and his skill level is different, but very talented. If there's another guy I could say is going to have an explosive, breakout year, it would be Dwight Blakey.'
    
    Two notable in-state transfers from the University of Arkansas, Tobias Enlow from North Little Rock and Jarrod Barnes from Cabot, immediately improved the talent level of the receiving corps.

    "Jarrod Barnes has had two or three great days starting camp out,' said Brown. "He seems more comfortable with what we are trying to do on offense than he did in the spring. He has a ton of talent and can be a weapon for us. And Tobias Enlow has been coming off a soft tissue injury that limited him early in camp but I expect him to come back and be a factor on the outside for us like he was in the spring.'

    A trio of freshmen receivers will also push for immediate playing time, according to Brown.

    "The three freshman, I've been very pleased with those guys,' he said. "Tyler Hudson (6-2, 185, Spring, Texas) is a big-play receiver. He possesses some of the best ball skills I've seen around here since maybe Dominique Croom. He has the ability to go up and make the 50-50 catches. He has a great knack for running routes at a young age. He's been coached well out of high school. And he has good size already. He has a 40-inch vertical. He will be relied on very early in his career. He's going to have a bright, bright future here.

    "The two slot receivers we brought in, Chris Howard (5-10, 175, Lakeland, Fla.) and Christian Richmond (5-8, 175, Cypress, Texas), are both extremely talented. Both of those guys remind me of a Brandon Cox or a Jatavious Wilson or a Lester Wells. Over the years, those kind of guys who have had success in the slot, both of those kids definitely project to be that kind of player.'

    The tight end position may be as deep as it has been in many years, starting with returning junior starter Jack Short (6-4, 245, Bentonville, Ark.).

    "That could definitely be a strength of our offense with who we have coming back' said Brown. "Jack Short, to me, is one of the best tight ends in this league. We signed him out of Bentonville High School as a tackle and we projected him as a tight end. And he's had a great two-year start to his career. Going on Year 3, you expect an even bigger jump this year. So Jack is the one we'll build around.

    "(Senior) Luke Ross (6-0, 235) is back at fullback. He had some big catches last year and he does a lot of the dirty work for our team that you expect a fullback to do. And then (junior) Josh Nix (6-5, 255) is back. He's had two great years at tight end and he has a ton of experience, he's played in big games. Between those three guys, that's a great corps coming back.'

    The addition of junior Sam Camargo (6-3, 260) makes the tight ends even more dangerous.

    "And we added Sam Camargo, a tranfer from Lenoir-Rhyne who sat out last year. Physically, probably the most gifted player we have at that position. Probably the most gifted player we've had there in a long time. He can really run and he catches the ball really well.'

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