Receivers Nathaniel Dell and Keith Corbin celebrate a score against BYU. | Courtesy of UH athletics
Continuing with the 2020 season positional grades for UH football, the attention now turns to the Cougars receiving core.
Heading into this season, the story of the wide receivers was one to watch out for with the development and new starting role of junior quarterback Clayton Tune.
Here is a look at how the wideouts turned out for the Cougars this season:
First season fire
A surprise name finished as the Cougars’ receiving leader in receptions and yards. Sophomore Nathaniel Dell capped off his first season with the Cougars totaling 29 receptions for 428 yards and three touchdowns after appearing in all eight of the Cougars games in 2020.
Dell came to UH as a junior college transfer from Independence Community College and was ranked as the 14th best JUCO wide receiver to transfer in 2020.
While it initially seemed as though Dell would not see much of the field this season, he managed to break into a starter receiver for the Cougars and became one of Tune’s main targets late in the year.
Senior showcase
Seniors Keith Corbin and Marquez Stevenson joined Dell as the only receivers to finish with 20 or more receptions for the Cougars this season.
Corbin finished with 27 catches for 352 yards and one touchdown in eight games, while Stevenson ended with 20 catches for 307 yards and four touchdowns in five games, having missed two games due to a leg injury suffered early in a loss against UCF.
Although Stevenson’s numbers dropped from last season due to injury and a haul of postponed games for the Cougars, his role and presence on the offense remained the same and was a crucial part of its air attack offense.
Supporting cast stats
The Cougars finished the season with 15 receiving touchdowns, 11 of which belonged to wide receivers.
Six other receivers caught at least one pass this season, including juniors Tre’Von Bradley, Bryson Smith and Jeremy Singleton.
Each wideout finished the season with at least 10 receptions, combining for 44 catches, 496 yards and two touchdowns, both belonging to Smith.
Redshirt freshman Ke’Andre Street finished the season with two receptions for 31 yards and one touchdown.
Performance grade
In a UH football season much more defined through the air than the ground, this wide receiver group got a considerable share in targets thanks to an offseason development that allowed Tune to become more comfortable in the passing game.
In comparison to 2019, some players saw numbers drop, yet others flourished, all wrapping up in a much more well-rounded receiver group that played a big role in several games for the Cougars in 2020.
Overall Grade: B-
For more of The Cougar’s 2020 UH football offseason grades, click here
