Date: 8/20
Position: Wide Receivers
Position Coach: Pete Bennett

Returning Letterwinners (Key stats): Kawaan Baker (12 games played, 35 rec., 574 yds, 3 TDs, 75 lg, 16.4 avg, 47.8 ypg); Jalen Tolbert (12 GP, 27 rec., 521 yds, 6 TDs, 60 lg, 19.3 avg, 43.4 ypg); Jalen Wayne (9 GP, 5 rec., 62 yds, 2 TDs, 20 lg, 12.4 avg, 6.0 ypg); Cade Sutherland (12 GP, 10 rec., 164 yds, 53 lg, 16.4 avg, 13.7 ypg); Devin Voisin (12 GP, 2 rec., 6 yds, 3.0 avg);
Mo Edwards, Jr. (2 GP)

Letterwinners lost (Key stats): Davyn Flenord [Changed Positions] (12 GP, 14 rec., 127 yds, 22 lg, 9.1 avg, 10.6 ypg); Tre'Veon Hamilton (12 GP, 3 rec., 43 yds, 33 lg, 14.3 avg, 3.6 ypg); David Webb (12 GP)

Returning Redshirt/Squad Members: (Yr., Hometown, Previous school): Victor McClinton (Jr., Eufaula, Ala., Tennessee-Martin), Jamel Thomas (Jr., Caledonia, Miss., Itawamba [Miss.] CC), Parker Kahlert (R-Fr., Atlanta, Ga., Woodward Academy), Patrick Palmer (R-Fr., Cantonment, Fla., Tate HS)

Newcomers (Yr., Previous school): Nae'Saan Dickerson (Fr. Hapeville Charter Career Academy), Hunter Jednat (Fr., Satsuma HS), Caullin Lacy (Fr., Faith Academy), Ty Smith (Fr., Muscle Shoals HS), Forrest Winton (Fr., The Woodlands Christian Academy), Keyshawn Woodyard (Fr., UMS-Wright Preparatory School), Christian Wortham (Fr., Grenada HS)

Miscellaneous Notes
-Kawaan Baker (574) and Jalen Tolbert (521) – who received third- and fourth-team, respectively, preseason all-Sun Belt honors from Phil Steele Publications – combined to register over 1,100 yards receiving last year to go along with nine of the team's 14 receiving touchdowns.
-Baker led the club in receptions (35), yards and yards per game (47.8), while Tolbert paced the club in yards per reception (19.3) and touchdowns (6).
-Baker was also one of two Jaugars selected Thrusday to the Reese's Senior Bowl Top 250 List.
-Baker also added 82 yards rushing and 35 on kick returns to post 692 all-purpose yards, the second-highest total on the squad, and paced the team in receptions in four contests and in receiving yards on five occasions, while also registering 12 plays of 20 or more yards — the second-highest total on the squad.
-The two receivers were both deep threats a year ago as Baker hauled in a 74- and a 75-yard reception – South's longest play from scrimmage – while Tolbert had a 60-yard reception. All three deep balls went for scores.
-Baker enters the 2020 season ranked among the program leaders in total touchdowns (19 – third), rushing touchdowns (11 – T-fifth), receptions (75 – T-seventh), touchdown catches (8 – seventh) and yards receiving (1,108 – eighth).
-Tolbert closed out the 2019 season by receiving honorable mention National Performer-of-the-Week accolades from the College Football Performance Awards and was College Sports Madness' Sun Belt Conference Offensive Player of the Week after recording career highs with five catches for 144 yards and setting a school game record with four touchdowns to help lead the Jaguars to a Senior Day victory over Arkansas State.
-Jamel Thomas – who redshirted last season – ranked among the top 20 junior-college wide receivers in the country and the top 25 recruits in Mississippi according to 24/7.com led Itawamba (Miss.) CC with 59 receptions for 934 yards and eight touchdowns as a sophomore, finishing second on the squad in all-purpose yards and fourth in scoring as well. He also ended the campaign leading the National Junior College Athletic Association with 103.8 receiving yards per contest, also ranking among the top five in total yards receiving (fourth) and receptions (fifth).
-Freshman receiver Nae'Saan Dickerson was a three-star recruit by 247Sports.com helped lead Hapeville Charter Career Academy finish with a 10-2-1 record while also earning first-team all-region honors after catching over 20 passes for more than 600 yards and seven touchdowns.
-Caullin Lacy – also a three-star recruit coming out of Faith Academy – played running back where he carried the ball 228 times for 1,842 yards and 23 touchdowns his senior season, including running for 100-plus yards on 10 occasions. He also added 13 receptions for 129 yards and another two scores as the Rams finished with an 11-1 mark. Lacy earned first-team all-state and all-region honors, and was chosen the region's Offensive Most Valuable Player, while also being named a finalist for the 5A Back of the Year and an honorable mention selection on AL.com's Super All-State Team.
-Of South's 14 touchdown receptions last season, all but one came from the wide receiver group.
-Davyn Flenord moved to the defensive side of the ball and is in line to see time at the corner back position.

Pete Bennett
- On the expectations of the group, especially with the players that return at the position: "We have high expectations this year; it's a veteran group. I think we have a lot of really good depth. KB (Kawann Baker), (Jalen) Wayne and (Jalen) Tolbert are in their third year with us now and have been in our system for a while. I feel things are really starting to click for them. They've been able to slow things down and focus on making plays. Some of the younger guys have also stepped up where I feel we can have high expectations and have a really good year."
- On having the luxury of depth at the position: "I think we've done a good job recruiting each year and filling our needs and spreading things out to where you can bring in guys at different stages of their development, as well as guys with different expectations of those stages. They've been able to develop at those stages, and I think that's really set us up to have a lot of depth at that spot."
- On the versatility of how the position is used within the offense: "We have a good group in that we have length, we have speed and a lot of different skill sets that we can use. Within our offense, we can use motions and a lot of different formations where we can get guys the ball and have them do things that fit their skill set."

Jalen Tolbert
- On the depth in the wide receiver room: "We have a deep core of guys. KB (Kawaan Baker) leads the group along with myself and (Jalen) Wayne. We have a lot of young guys that have stepped up and shown us that they have the ability to make plays and that there are others in our unit that can be relied upon. We just continue to make each other better each and every day. We come out (to practice) and compete hard with the DBs (defensive backs) and they're going to make us better as well."
- On how playing with a receiver like Baker has helped make him better: "Playing with Kawaan has really helped me a lot. Last year I would say that I was an average receiver. This offseason I was with KB a lot and working out and running routes with him. I went to Atlanta with him and trained with him and that really helped me grow as a receiver. He taught me some stuff that he knew and I tried to help him out as well. That has really improved both of our games as well as we prepared for this fall camp and this season."
- On what he feels he needs to do out on the field to continue to take that next step as a receiver: "I just need to continue to make plays for the team whenever the ball comes my way. Just continue to focus on doing my assignment and if the ball isn't coming to me, I need to make sure I make the block or run the right route."

Jalen Wayne
- On the strength of the group: "I feel that the strength of our group is our ability to be a deep threat. We are more dangerous down the field that we have been in the past, and we've been more consistent (this fall) on getting to deep balls and deep-threat situations. Another strength of ours is our ability to make a play after the catch."
- On the depth of the unit: "Everyone is stepping up and making plays (in camp). It's enjoyable as a starter to see the second-string and third-string guys. We want to make sure that they are doing the same things that we do and be able to make the same plays that we are able to make. I believe in the saying that 'You're only as good as your weakest link', and that's definitely applicable in our situation because our weakest links are just as good as our best."
- On what he attributes his development this fall to: "I would definitely attribute it to the work that we put in during quarantine and the small groups that we had early on. We made sure that we got up early and ran our routes and caught passes. We just focused on football stuff and made sure our minds stayed active and ready for fall camp.
"I would also say that it's due to the training that I did over the summer with our strength coach (Chad) Smith. He really got us right and ready for fall camp."

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