WASHINGTON – With less than two weeks until the 2023 season kicks off at home against Marist on September 2, GUHoyas.com will take an in-depth look at each position with this edition featuring the team's wide receivers. 

"The goal I have for this group is to get them to play as a unit," said Wide Receivers Coach Steve Thames Jr. "We have the talent, it's just more so making sure everybody knows their role and where they fit into the offense. These guys overall are better at playing as a group than the last couple of years. We want to continue to build off that moral throughout the year and play competitively together. We have good young talent that is unproven from a Patriot League standpoint but from a team standpoint they have shown what they are capable of."

The Hoyas welcome back graduate student Tiy Reed and senior Asante Das as veteran leaders of the wide receivers. During his senior season, Reed saw action in seven games on all sides of the ball. 

"Reed had a good camp. We are expecting him to be a utility guy and a role player for us this year. He will be valuable on special teams and in some certain packages where his skill set can help the offense." 

In 2022, Das played in four games and picked up five receptions for 51 yards and one touchdown before an injury ended his season. After training hard in the offseason, the Georgia native is looking to make a strong return to the Hoya lineup and according to Thames Jr. "he will emerge as one of the utility guys on this team." 

The Hoyas will utilize the newly formed sophomore duo of Jimmy Kibble and transfer Nicholas Dunnenman. As a freshman, Kibble saw action in eight contests on both offense and special teams. He accumulated 118 yards on six receptions including two catches for 50 yards and one touchdown at Lafayette. 

Dunnenman recorded three receptions for 78 yards and two touchdowns during his collegiate debut at Union College. The Liberty League Rookie of the Year also recorded the second-longest punt return in program history with 66 yards against Worcester state. 

"With their combination of speed and ball skills, Nick and Jimmy have shown to be two of the better players in the room. During camp, Nick has really emerged and proven himself along with Jimmy. I am really pleased with their development so far. "

GU will also be joined by junior Brock Biestek who saw action in 11 games and registered 10 catches for 125 yards and one touchdown. The special teams standout also tallied 10 tackles and against Marist he picked up one blocked punt

"Brock is having a really good camp and with this being his third year he is ready to step into a bigger role."

The wide receiver group will also include juniors Donte Owens, Ben Fewell, Cam Pygatt, and Julian Williams and sophomores Carter Phillips and Keynan Richardson-Cook. The Hoyas also added freshmen Titus Heimuli and Jayvin Pyle-Thompson. 

"The freshmen have been working hard since day one. Everyday they are learning something new and elevating their performance at practice. I have been very pleased with them so far just grinding it out consistently and coming in each day and absorbing knowledge from the upperclassmen."

Additional Wide Receiver Highlights

• Last season, Pygatt and Richardson-Cook combined for 91 yards on eight receptions.  
• Owens saw action against Monmouth in 2022 and registered three rush attempts for 22 yards. 
• As a freshman, Phillips did not see game action but was named to the Patriot League Academic Honor Roll. 
• Fewel looks to contribute to the Hoyas 2023 campaign after not seeing game action last season. 
• Williams joined the Hoya football team this year after running for the GU men's track team during the 2022-23 season. . 
• As a four-time first team all-state and first team all-conference honoree, Pyle-Thompson led Central Valley High School to three district championships and two state championships. 
• As a captain at Choate Rosemary Hall, Heimuli led his team to an All-New England Preparatory School Athletic Council Championship.