Football Season Preview: Wide Receivers and Tight Ends
SMITHFIELD, R.I. – With the Bryant University football season under a month away, Bryant Athletics takes a look at the wide receivers and tight ends leading up to the opening kickoff on September 5.
Bryant Athletics will breakdown the quarterbacks, running backs, wide receivers and tight ends, linemen, linebackers, defensive backs and specialists.
Wide Receivers and Tight Ends
The Black and Gold welcome back a talented group of wide receivers and tight ends led by First Team All-Northeast Conference and Preseason All-NEC selection senior Chad Ward (Delray Beach, Fla.). Along with Ward, the Bulldogs return a total of eight players that caught a pass in 2014.
One of the top pass catchers in the league, Ward is coming off a breakout year last fall. He set career highs with 46 catches for 667 yards and five touchdowns. Ward finished fourth in the NEC with 60.6 yards per game last season. He posted three 100-yard receiving games and showed a flair for the dramatic, hauling in a pair of game-winning touchdowns against Stony Brook and Maine. Ward is one of only six players in program history to record over 1,000 career receiving yards and is currently fourth all-time.
Bryant's second best receiver statistics-wise wasn't even a receiver last year as senior Ricardo McCray (Middletown, R.I.) finished second on the team in receptions (30), receiving yards (366) and touchdowns (4). A threat out of the backfield, McCray caught seven passes for 77 yards against Maine last fall.
Joining Ward in the wide receiver ranks is a trio of pass catchers that have the ability to make game-changing plays. Senior Jose Depadua (Frederick, Md.) caught 23 passes for 291 yards and two touchdowns and finished the year with three-straight games with at least 30 receiving yards, the longest stretch of his career.
Junior Keenan Thompson (Broward County, Fla.) also enjoyed a breakout year in 2014, finishing with 16 catches for 234 yards and three touchdowns. He saved his best for last, hauling in six passes for 124 yards and two touchdowns over the final three games of the season. Classmate Taylor Barthelette (East Longmeadow, Mass.) also came on strong at the end of the year, bouncing back from an injury to make seven catches for 144 yards in the last two games of the year. He finished the year with 10 catches for 189 yards and a touchdown.
In addition, the Bulldogs added a strong freshman group of wide receivers in the offseason and welcome back a veteran and talented group of upperclassmen.
One of Bryant's biggest strengths this season will be at tight end. The Black and Gold will feature a pair of senior captains in Ryan Barrett (Holliston, Mass.) and John Lavin (Falmouth, Mass.). Barrett missed all of last season with an injury and has not played since October 12, 2013. He does, however, bring size and leadership to a position that is crucial to Bryant's offensive game plan.
Lavin, on the other hand, took over for Barrett last season and put together a stellar campaign. He caught 15 passes for 198 yards and five touchdowns, all career-highs. Lavin caught a pass in all but three games and helped the Black and Gold finish with nearly 200 rushing yards per game against league opponents.
Junior Alex Madoian (North Kingstown, R.I.), sophomores Ken Blasser (Pembroke, Mass.), Ryan Carr (East Northport, N.Y.), Jeff Cohen (Hopewell Junction, N.Y.) and Pat Danner (Plymouth, Mass.) and freshmen Cole Cronin (Wrightstown, N.J.) and Nolan Wilson (Wenham, Mass.) will also battle for playing time.