Junior receiver K.D. Nixon waltzes into the end zone during the second quarter of play at Folsom Field. Oct. 25, 2019 (Nigel Amstock/CU Independent)
With football set to return to Folsom Field this Saturday, the University of Colorado Buffaloes have a promising situation with a skilled group of wide receivers meshing with new head coach Karl Dorrell. Before coming back to CU, Dorrell was an NFL and collegiate wide receivers coach for a number of programs. CU has a bevy of returning and new talent at wide receiver, making it one of the deepest corps on the team. With that, let’s take a closer look at the pass catchers who will be lining up in black and gold this season.
Although star WR Laviska Shenault Jr. has moved on to the NFL’s Jacksonville Jaguars, another receiver hailing from his hometown of DeSoto, Texas remains to pick up the slack. K.D. Nixon, who declared and later withdrew from the 2020 NFL draft during the offseason, comes back to CU for his senior season. Nixon looks to tap into his full potential following a 2019 campaign in which Nixon had a subpar 448 receiving yards. This year, Nixon could potentially become the number one pass-catching target in Karl Dorrell and offensive coordinator Darrin Chiaverini’s new offense. Despite being on the shorter side at 5-foot-8, Nixon has shown off his big-play potential in the past, including the ‘flea-flicker’ heard ’round the world’ against Nebraska last season. The pundits have seen this as well, as he was given an honorable mention for All-Pac-12 honors this preseason.
Another returning target will be sophomore Dimitri Stanley, who looks to be a dependable option out of the slot. Hailing from football powerhouse Cherry Creek High School here in Colorado, Stanley followed in the footsteps of his father and Buffs’ alum Walter to play at CU. Stanley played in the the first three games of the 2018 season before redshirting the rest of the year and went on to play in all 12 games of 2019. Now, with a full season of play under his belt, the 5-foot-11, 195-lb Stanley will try to use his athleticism to build upon a season where he finished fourth on the team in both receptions and receiving yards.
At the same time, junior Daniel Arias seemingly has the physical stature (6-foot-4, 200 lb) to be a threat, but needs to prove he can be a real in-game threat. Coming out of high school from the state of Washington, Arias has made little impact on the offense over his first two seasons. Where he has shown his potential is on special teams, scoring 51 points for that unit over the span of the 2018 and 2019 seasons (20th all-time at CU). The promise and flashes of talent have been seen, and we will see if he can establish himself inside this group.
While Shenault is gone, his younger brother La’Vontae Shenault is set up to get playing time… at least after week one passes. After redshirting last year, Shenault hit a snag into finally getting his Buffaloes debut when he was arrested on a D.U.I. charge in Fort Collins in July. Dorrell said that the freshman would be suspended for CU’s opener against UCLA, meaning that the Shenault will not see the field until at least week two’s trek to California to take on Stanford. Despite this hiccup, expectations still remain high for the four-star prospect and younger brother of a big star.
The departure of former CU head coach Mel Tucker following National Signing Day in February was a blow, but members of his stellar 2020 recruiting class still look to contribute quickly. This includes freshman Brenden Rice who hails from Chandler, Arizona. The son of legendary NFL Wide Receiver Jerry Rice, he chose CU over Jim Harbaugh’s Michigan Wolverines in a big get for the Buffs. Also coming as a part of this class are three-star prospects’ Keith Miller III, who hails from Texas and Montana Lemonius-Craig from Inglewood, California. It is yet to be seen if these young guns can bring the heat and get substantial targets during this season, but they all bring the promise that the unit has a strong future.
Contact CU Independent Staff Writer Thomas Gahan at thga7234@colorado.edu.
