OwlBytes: 2021 FAU Fall Camp August 10th - Wide Receivers & Notes



Day five of camp on Wednesday featured cycles of receivers getting acclimated with their quarterbacks, as both positions seem to be deep and competitive. With three weeks left of camp, the starters are nowhere near set, but the wide receiver position remains one of the deepest on the Owls' roster.

"We're not concerned about [the quarterback battle] in the wide receiver room," wide receivers coach Joey Thomas said on Monday. "Our job is to get open and catch the ball when delivered. It doesn't matter who's throwing the ball, do our job. Get open, catch the ball, and get some [Yards after Catch.]"

After Tuesday's practice, the team will get the day off on Wednesday before transitioning into their first practice with full pads on Thursday.

The wide receiver room is packed with talent, with Clemson transfer and last year's receiving yards leader TJ Chase leading the pack, John Mitchell returning after missing all of last season with an injury, and speedy youngster Lajohntay Wester possibly looking at a bigger role in the upcoming season. Add in Brandon Robinson, who led the team in receiving touchdowns, and Aaron Young playing in his second season after transferring from Duke, the wideout position remains one of the most interesting positions on the roster.

With day five of camp in the books, here is the second of our parliament Owl position previews, with three names at the wide receiver position, and some notes from today's media availability.


Lining Up

• Expected to Lead TJ Chase: The graduate student arrived in Boca Raton ahead of the 2020 season after transferring from Clemson and immediately became a leader in the passing game. Chase (pictured) led all Owls receivers with 334, adding two of FAU's eight receiving touchdowns on the season. He has a winning pedigree, being a part of two National Championship-winning Clemson teams in 2016 and 2018, finishing his career with the Tigers with 25 catches for 206 yards and three touchdowns.

• Keep An Eye On BJ Alexander: The redshirt sophomore caught a team-leading three touchdown passes, adding 145 yards on 12 receptions in 2020. including two catches for 24 yards in the Montgomery Bowl against Memphis. He transferred to FAU from Kentucky after appearing in three games his Redshirt Freshman season. In high school, Alexander was ranked as a top 150 wide receiver by both ESPN and 247 sports and was ranked as the No. 105 recruit in Florida. Now, he has the chance to prove that potential with a breakout campaign in 2021.

• Dark Horse Candidate Lajohntay Wester: During his freshman season, Wester was a key piece to the Owls' roster, being used on both offense and special teams. He truly showed his worth in the team's second game of the season against Marshall, when he combined for 105 all-purpose yards, collecting 53 yards in two kick returns, 34 yards on four punt returns, six rushing yards on one carry, and 12 receiving yards on three catches. In total, Wester had 114 receiving yards on 17 catches and a touchdown. He now has a chance to get even more involved in the offense this season, continuing to be a versatile piece for the Florida Atlantic.

OwlBytes for August 10th

• Rayquan Berry Impresses During Camp Redshirt freshman Rayquan Berry received some reps with N'Kosi Perry and Michael Johnson Jr. with the first team offense. He looked explosive and made some good cuts in the running drills today. Berry redshirted in 2019 and did not play in the 2020 season. He was taking turns with Larry McCammon and James Charles playing with the first unit, and he looked the most impressive during the viewing window on Tuesday.

• Chase Lasater Makes Switch To Outside Linebacker With Akileis Leroy back in the fold, Lasater has been taking reps at outside linebacker to fill the void that Leighton McCarthy's departure left. "It's different, now [Lasater] has to line up on the line and guard a guy releasing from the line, rather than putting a guy in space," outside linebackers coach Raymond Woodie said. "Now he has to understand that it's a different type of technique." Lasater had success getting into the backfield last season, putting up five tackles for a loss and a sack, but time will only tell if it can translate when he lines up at the edge.

• Tight Ends Getting More Touches In Camp With FAU only getting one receiving touchdown from their tight ends the entire season in 2020, they have been steadily getting the position group more involved in camp. They lined up in a two-Tight End set featuring Rahmod Smith and Zaire Mitchell-Paden. "I think the plan is to play the best 11 players," tight ends coach Jon Bills said. "it's my job as the tight ends coach that one of those best 11 is the tight end."

Video Play

Mitchell-Paden, tight ends coach Jon Bills, and coach Woodie headline Video Play.




Related Content

OwlBytes: 2021 FAU Fall Camp August 9th - Offensive Line & Notes

2021 FAU Football Fall Camp Discussion

2021 Fall Camp Roster

I'm excited about this group. So much growth has to happen from last year and I do think we will see it. If our leading receiver ends the year with 300 yards, we definitely aren't bowling