Another offseason has come and gone, and the calendar has turned the page for August which means players have reported back to campus for preseason camp. It also means LamarCardinals.com will once again be posting its annual position-by-position breakdowns leading up to the team’s season opener Saturday, Aug. 30th at North Texas.
Today, LamarCardinals.com will break down the LU wide receivers.
WR Quick Facts:
Letterwinners Returning/Lost: 4/3
Starters Returning/Lost: 2/1
Newcomers: 7
Stats: Lamar’s wideouts combined to make 101 catches for 1,492 yards and 11 TDs last season, and the Cardinals return six of their top seven targets from last year in terms of receiving yards (and five of their top six in terms of receptions).
Key Player: Kyndon Fuselier (31-513-2 TD-16.6 ypr) – Fuselier tied for the team-high in receptions last season and finished second on the squad in receiving yards and touchdowns (on his way to second-team All-SLC honors). Fuselier should be a fan favorite – regardless of the stats – being one of many 409 players on the squad.
The Storyline
Lamar has a healthy stable of returning players at receiver. The returning letterwinners include Fuselier (5-11, 184, Sr.), Izaha Jones (6-3, 196, Sr.), Jayden Boyd (6-3, 201, Jr.) and Kendric Malone (5-11, 183, Jr.) and account for 88 games played, 39 starts, 126 receptions for 1,123 yards and seven scores. This group alone seems to check all the boxes – size, speed, possession, good route running and experience (not to mention post season honors).
When you add to that list 2024 redshirts Britain Simmons (5-11, 182) and Cash Cross (6-3, 195) – great name for a receiver by the way – Lamar’s coaching staff has a ton of options to create different scenarios. Obviously, Fuselier and Jones lead the way in the experience category. They have the majority of the starts and have been a huge reason for the program’s turnaround.
Jones was slowed by injury during spring camp and spent the majority of workouts watching from the sidelines, but now he’s back and he’s healthy. Fuselier, for some odd reason, has spent most of career being overlooked (until he got to Lamar). An all-state selection from nearby Nederland High School, he initially received only one DI offer coming out of high school, but as the saying goes ‘one man’s trash is another man’s treasure,’ and he’s been that treasure for Lamar since his arrival. Having done everything to this point that has been asked of him, Fuselier enters his senior year with one of the most memorable plays – for Lamar fans – in the history of the Battle of the Border. He is the receiver who caught the pass on the goal line with no time on the clock to secure the rivalry win.
An exciting part about every position group each year is to look at the newcomers. The 2025 newcomers consist of three transfers and four high school standouts. The transfers are Jamahdia Whitby (6-3, 209, Sr., Coastal Carolina), Jaydn Girard (6-0, 187, Jr., Wake Forest) and Nyir Jones (6-1, 166, So., St. Thomas Aquinas College). Similar to LU’s cast of returning letterwinners this trio brings varying skills that check off all the boxes and bring added experience to a growing receiver room.
The Cardinals high level of experience should take away a lot of stress from the incoming freshman – Blake Thomas (5-11, 185, Summer Creek HS), Kobe Abraham (5-9, 184, Red Oak HS), Bisi Bello (5-11, 179, Katy Tompkins HS) and Cam Patterson (5-8, 195, Dallas Carter HS). This group should have the ability to come in and learn at a steady pace, but having said that, we have often heard LU head coach Pete Rossomando say “experience isn’t always better, better is better,” so the veterans can expect to be pushed by some of these younger guys.
One other thing, the Cardinals also have a speedy defensive back from Cypress in the form of redshirt freshman, Nicholas Brown (6-0, 170). Don’t be surprised if you see him step across to the other side of the line and get some snaps on offense as well.
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