Football season preview: Wide Receivers
SMITHFIELD, R.I. – It was a record-setting season for the Bryant University football wide receivers in 2016 and the group is hoping for an encore performance this fall.
This is the sixth of an eight-part season preview for the Bryant football team. BryantBulldogs.com previewed the special teams on Thursday, the defensive backs on Friday, the linebackers on Saturday, the defensive line on Sunday and the offensive line/tight ends on Monday. It will also preview the running backs and quarterbacks on Wednesday leading up to the season opener on Sept. 2.
Headlining the Black and Gold receiving corps will be seniors Matt Sewall (Portsmouth, R.I.) and Aaron Aryee (Hartford, Conn.) and sophomore Jean Constant (Delray Beach, Fla.). Sewall was second on the team with 39 catches for 522 yards and seven touchdowns a season ago, while Aryee finished fourth on the team with 22 catches for 318 yards and one score. Constant added 16 catches for 265 yards and a touchdown in his first season of competition.
Sewall proved he could be a big-time playmaker last fall, posting a pair of 100-yard receiving games. He closed the 2016 season by catching eight passes for a career-high 136 and two touchdowns at Sacred Heart. Wide receivers coach Vinny Marino hopes that he isn't the only one that will show his playmaking skills this season.
"I really am excited about this group because I think we have some guys who can be playmakers and help create big plays for our offense," Marino said. "We are expecting a big year from Matt and Jean, and Aaron brings experience to the group and will be counted on to play a lot of snaps."
With those three firmly entrenched, Marino has been excited about the group as a whole and the way they have developed during camp. One of those players is senior Tom Kennedy (Farmingdale, N.Y.). Kennedy was a member of the football program as a freshman but chose to focus on lacrosse the last two years and is now back on the football field and thriving. A speedster, Kennedy has the ability to make plays at wide receiver.
"There is a group of wide receivers who can make plays and make big plays," Marino said. "The group will be able to stretch the field vertically which is very important to help the run. They must be a consistent group of playmakers in order for the offense to be a very productive one."
The Bulldogs will also look to senior Scott Tibert (Pasadena, Md.), junior Vincent Nisivoccia (Nutley, N.J.) and sophomores Alex Rasmussen (Fallston, Md.) and Josh Gebing (Cincinnati, Ohio) for production early on. Tibert is the only one in that group that has considerable playing experience, appearing in 16 games on special teams the last two years.
"We don't have a great deal of experience in the wide receiver group," Marino added. "We have 17 on the roster and only four have played in a varsity game. The group will have to grow up early, learn from mistakes and build on successes. They are a hungry group and are ready to get the season going."