By Foster Nicholas | Sports Editor
With experience comes higher expectations, and the wide receivers on the Baylor football team have been open about their talent and goals for 2024. After finishing at the bottom in wide receiver yards in 2023, the Bears’ receivers are eager to gain the upper hand.
“Our goal is to be the best wide receiver team in the country. We’ve been talking about that for a while. I think we have the guys to do that. We just have to work hard to achieve that goal,” senior wide receiver Monaray Baldwin said. “We honestly have a lot of potential and if we just keep moving up, we’re going to be great this season.”
“Coach (Dallas) Baker has really talked about winning the Biletnikoff. I guess it’s kind of like a race in the room to see who can win the Biletnikoff. So that’s my goal.”
The Biletnikoff Award is given to the best receiver of the season. The most recent winner was Ohio State’s Marvin Harrison Jr. Winning this award is nothing new for a Bear, as Baylor wide receiver Corey Coleman won the award in 2015. Bringing the award back to Waco might not be too far-fetched, as offensive coordinator Jake Spavital’s Air Raid offense generates a lot of passing.
“I really like the offense. And it’s not just the offense, Coach Spav brings us a lot of energy. That makes us want to go out there and perform,” Baldwin said. “And you know, the offense is pretty simple. We just throw the ball a lot. That’s what we want to do as receivers.”
Ashtyn Hawkins, a five-year senior wide receiver, was named to the prospect list earlier this fall along with 48 other players from across the country. Hawkins, who primarily plays slot receiver, transferred from Texas State in the spring and has steadily increased in value since then.
“Ashtyn is one of the best wide receivers (in the country). I mean, to get a chance to go up against a guy like that and then see what you can do to stop him, and you stop him,” said second-year safety Carl Williams IV. “Then he goes in his lab and does something to beat me.”
During training camp, Hawkins thrived in one-on-one drills against the secondary, and much of the defense shared Williams’ compliments when the receiver provoked defensive errors on practice plays.
“Ashtyn Hawkins was almost unstoppable at times this week,” Aranda said after the team’s final scrimmage of training camp. “(He) is really a catcher, as far as speed, there are formations and routes that give you problems, as far as rules and look changes and all that … (his) talent combined with the scheme makes him difficult to defend right now.”
Because of the group’s experience, the Bears didn’t add many more players besides Hawkins. Returning seniors Baldwin, Hal Presley and Ketron Jackson combined for 1,334 yards in 2023, more than 70 percent of the team’s total receiving yards at the position.
Presley returned to training camp with a chip on his shoulder after missing significant time in 2023 due to injuries. A once-reserved 6-foot-3, 215-pound receiver is now brimming with confidence, knowing he has one final chance to give it his all and let his game speak for itself.
“I just want to do my best. I feel like a lot of people doubt me. I’m not saying I’m playing for the doubters, but I kind of want to prove myself. That’s what I’m going into this season to do. I want to prove myself, make a statement and show who I am,” Presley said. “I didn’t wait three years for nothing, so I’m ready for this… You’ll see.”
During the summer months, sixth-year quarterback Dequan Funn traveled from his hometown of Detroit to spend weekends in Dallas with Presley and other receivers to bond before training camp. On the receiving end, Baldwin and Presley raved about how helpful those weekends were for personal development and team cohesion.
“When I got to college, I didn’t really get any extra work outside of football. It wasn’t like, ‘Oh, I’m going home and then my quarterback is coming home with me and he’s throwing.’ DQ did that,” Presley said. “I feel like it’s building, the chemistry, and it’s definitely showing.”
Perhaps the increased confidence was due to the additional contacts and a solid foundation, but the strength of the receiver team, which includes nine seniors, lay in the competition.
“If you’ve looked at the roster and the practices, you know there’s a lot of competition. Everyone’s good. I know we’ve said that over and over again the last two years, but I really mean it,” senior wide receiver Hal Presley said. “Hey, Devin Lemear wasn’t lying when he said we had some of the fastest guys in the country. That’s true.”
Aranda also thought Presley and Lemear were spot on when they said speed would be the strength of the 2024 Baylor offense. Most notably, Baldwin was named to The Athletic’s Freaks List for the second year in a row, which recognizes athletes with above-average intangibles. At 5’10”, Baldwin received a 98 speed rating in the newly released EA Sports College Football 25 video game, putting his wheels even more in the spotlight.
Since the belief in greatness comes from the receiver room, it’s important to note that Baylor’s top four wide receivers combined for fewer yards (1,558) in 2023 than the nation’s best receiver (Washington’s Rome Odunze, 1,640). As training camp neared its end, Presley felt he had identified exactly what was missing last year and why the receiver group was finally ready for a breakthrough after four years of preparation.
“I feel like we’re at a different level of maturity now. We all know what we have to do. We know the offense is going to run through the receivers,” Presley said. “Last year it was about the man before the player, but now it’s a little more on the player side. You have to make plays. That’s where we are now.”
