WASHINGTON – With less than two weeks until the 2024 season kicks off at home against Davidson on August 31, GUHoyas.com will take an in-depth look at each position with this edition featuring the team's wide receivers. 

The GU wide receivers include seniors Brock Biestek, Cam Pygatt and Ben Fewel, juniors Nick Dunneman, Keynan Richardson-Cook and Jimmy Kibble and sophomores Jayvin Pyle-Thompson, Titus Heimuli and Jordan Holmes. In the offseason, the Hoyas added a sophomore transfer from Appalachian State Coen Sutton in addition to freshmen Jonathan Alexander, Jac Comeaux and Legend Bernard. 

The group is led by the new wide receiver coach Stephen Amoako. Amoako joins the Hoyas after spending the last two seasons as the wide receivers coach at the College of San Mateo. Before coaching, Amoako was a defensive back at the University of Oregon and was a member of the 2014 PAC 12 Championship team that won the Rose Bowl and earned a berth in the first-ever College Football Playoff. 

"This group has progressed tremendously throughout camp," said Amoako.  "I have seen our veterans improving tremendously regarding their skills and fundamentals but also in their leadership skills. The underclassmen have developed a lot when it comes to fundamentals, technique and playing with high effort. Our focus during camp has been our effort and mindset. We want to create high standards in terms of the effort that we play with but at the same time, emphasize having a lot of fun. In terms of mindset, we prioritize making the play in that moment, and every time you are on the field we want to leave our signature on the ball. We want to play with a certain swagger and aggressiveness. We want to be fast and physical first, but we also have the skills, techniques and fundamentals to play with finesse."

Last season, Kibble led the Hoyas with 33 receptions for 753 yards and eight touchdowns, including his longest catch for 95 yards against Bucknell. The Virginia native was selected to the 2023 All-Patriot League Second Team and was recently named to the 2024 Phil Steele Patriot League Preseason All-Conference Second Team. Kibble will be a key component of the Hoyas offense this year after he has worked hard during the offseason to "diversify his game." 

"I think Kibble is one of our best offensive weapons so we need to get him the ball as much as possible and not just on deep balls, which is his bread and butter. I think he has improved a lot and is not trying to be a one-dimensional guy. This season we will see him more in the intermediate routes, getting in and out of the brakes but also still making those longer catches."

Biestek was a reliable receiver during the 2023 campaign, totaling 34 catches for 363 yards and two touchdowns. Most notably, the North Carolina native caught the game-winning touchdown against then-No.15 Fordham last season. 

"It is routine for Brock to make those big plays and we expect to see that from him again this season. He has worked on his speed and is a vertical threat in terms of stacking defenders and releases. He has stepped into a leadership role when it comes to bringing energy to practice and also helping our younger athletes get lined up. He has definitely raised the standard of our group this year."

Last season, Dunneman made 76 catches for 749 yards and four touchdowns and was named to the All-Patriot League Second Team. The special teams standout also tallied 20 punt returns for 214 yards and was selected to the 2024 Patriot League Preseason All-League Team as a return specialist. 

Richardson-Cook saw action in two games last year for the Hoyas and is now expected to contribute to the GU offense in a larger role this year.

"Keynan has shown a lot of improvement. Not only is he a super positive teammate and extremely coachable, but he is also a tremendous athlete. I think this will be the year where we are going to see Keynan come into his own and be a contributor. He has established himself to get some playing time and is competing for a starting role."

During the 2023 season, Pygatt played in all 11 games for the Hoyas and totaled 28 catches for 251 yards and one touchdown. He also recorded six kick returns for a total of 103 yards. 
"Cam is a very versatile wide receiver. He can play outside and inside receiver but he is also a return guy. I am expecting him to have a huge year."

Holmes joins the wide receiver room this season after spending his freshman year as a quarterback. The position change will allow the California native to contribute his immense speed to the offense. During high school, Holmes captained the track team and set the record at Yorba Linda High School for the 100m (10.9) and the 4x100m (42.5). 

"Jordan is a phenomenal athlete. He has a lot of speed and has always been one of the fastest guys on the team. We want to utilize his athleticism and his talent to grow our wide receiver room. Having experience at the quarterback position also helps him transition into this new role because of his understanding of the offense."

Sutton joins the Hoyas program after transferring from App State where he helped them become Cure Bowl Champions. In high school, Sutton was named offensive difference maker for his performance during his senior year. 
 
"Coen is a great athlete with great size. He is arguably the best blocking wide receiver on our team. He is a fantastic intermediate route runner. He is competing for a substantial amount of playing time and has the potential to break through as a starter." 

The Hoyas also gain valuable talent in incoming freshmen Alexander, Comeux and Bernard. While in high school, Bernard tallied 63 receptions for 865 receiving yards and 11 touchdowns, including four touchdown catches in a single game. In addition to football, Bernard participated in track and basketball. Alexander joins the Hoyas after helping his high school team make its first playoff appearance in seven years. Alexander was named First Team All-League as a defensive back in 2022 and both a defensive back and wide receiver in 2023. As a junior at Dunham High School, Comeaux had a 1,000-yard season, was named Louisiana 2A offensive MVP and helped his team become the Louisiana State Championship runner-up.

"All of our freshmen are coming from different places all over the country. They definitely had a bit of culture shock coming to D.C. but I think we have such good leadership from top to bottom that has made their adjustment easier. All three freshmen are just as skilled as our vets. They will help raise the standard and talent level in our room and I would not be surprised if we see some of them making big plays this season."