The Pinkie Previews: UofL Wide Receivers

The Cards, specifically wide receivers coach Ron Dugans, have a tough task ahead at the wide-out position. With the departure of seniors Scott Long and Trent Guy, there is not a lot of experience. Projected starters for this season had a combined 42 receptions last year. Also, with the move of Josh Chichester to tight end they lose another player who saw extensive game action at wide receiver. The Cards are looking to re-establish the A.F.R.O.S., or America’s Finest Receivers on Saturdays. Let’s take a look at some of them.

The Hometown Hero’s Final Season - Doug Beaumont

Doug  Beaumont is the receiver with the most significant playing time. For his career, Doug has 100 receptions and over 1,200 yards. Unfortunately, he has no touchdowns for his collegiate career. I will take a gamble here and say that stat will change this season, mark my word. If it does not, then I may be sick to my stomach. This guy works as hard as anybody and deserves to get in the endzone at least once.

I predict Douglas Beaumont will be a beast this year with his speed and athleticism, and make up for the past three seasons. He will rotate from the slot and wide-out spots and in the new spread offense, I  think he will find a lot of open space in the defenses. His obvious drawback is lack of size, but his fortitude is tremendous and I think he has a memorable senior season. 

 Time to Step Up – Troy Pascley

Senior Troy Pascley is a guy who should have done more by now. He has the physical tools needed in a quality receiver, but for some reason, he has struggled to see the field on a consistent basis. To be fair, Pascley has experience nagging injuries the past two seasons, but he still did not play too much when healthy either. 

Troy’s best moment was probably his 35 yard touchdown catch, which was also his first reception back in 2008 against the always tough Tenn. Tech. His best full season was 2008 when he recorded 12 catches for 252 yards and 4 TDs. I know those are not impressive numbers, but with his physical abilities and a fresh start under a new coaching staff, I think we will get a good look at what Troy Pascley can do.

Looking to Make An Impact – Josh Bellamy, Michaelee Harris

This is the the talk of fall camp so far. Josh Bellamy, a Juco signee originally from St. Petersburg, Florida, is an extremely impressive physical specimen. He’s 6-0 and 205 lbs, and even though practice is barely a week old, it is pretty much a done deal Bellamy will play. He has good, not great speed, but runs crisp routes and has showed reliable hands. The UofL defensive backs have singled him out specifically as a potential problem for opposing teams. Josh had 1,300 receiving yards and 17 TDs last season at Butte Community College. He’s my early favorite for breakout performer of the season for the Cards.

Like Bellamy, true freshman Michaelee Harris should see significant action as well. Harris was a four-star recruit from Miami, Florida and was reported to run the best routes of any receiver in the country coming out of high school. To be fair, that was a single evaluator’s opinion, but still very high praise. Michaelee runs in about the 4.4-4.5 range, but it’s his hands and route running that should get Louisville fans excited.

This season, expectations for the wide receivers should not be very high because outside of Beaumont, no one has seen significant playing time. This does not mean our receivers will be bad, but I think fans need to just be patient. I feel there is a huge upside with this batch of young receivers and could be very dangerous over the next two or three seasons.

I believe Doug Beaumont will lead the team in receptions with 65 catches for 800 yards and 6 TDs. I think Pascley will finish the season around 35 catches and 450 yards, with 4 td’s.  With all the new players, I think three or four guys will have to step up and share the workload. The Cards do not have a true no. 1 receiver yet, so it will need to be a true team effort. Go Cards!