{"id":5345,"date":"2026-06-25T17:36:08","date_gmt":"2026-06-25T17:36:08","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/orlandorelocationreport.com\/?p=5345"},"modified":"2026-06-25T17:36:08","modified_gmt":"2026-06-25T17:36:08","slug":"ucf-position-preview-wide-receivers-bring-much-needed-experience","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/orlandorelocationreport.com\/?p=5345","title":{"rendered":"UCF position preview: Wide receivers bring much-needed experience"},"content":{"rendered":"<div>\n<div>\n<p>The third in a position-by-position preview of the UCF football team heading into fall camp:<\/p>\n<p>Read more <a href=\"https:\/\/orlandorelocationreport.com\/?p=5343\">Magic trade to draft Izaiyah Nelson, but where does he fit in Orlando\u2019s future?<\/a><\/p>\n<h4>TODAY: WIDE RECEIVERS<\/h4>\n<p><strong>What to expect<\/strong><\/p>\n<p>When UCF wide receivers coach Sean Beckton Sr. took over the unit last season, it was a blank canvas with plenty of potential but lacking any practical experience. Among the 14 players in the group, only four had ever caught a pass in college.<\/p>\n<p>This time around, Beckton has a group that is anchored by returning starter Duane Thomas Jr., who stepped up as a go-to option in the offense last season at wideout, leading the team with 53 catches for 528 receiving yards.<\/p>\n<p>The emergence of Waden Charles as a true freshman was a pleasant surprise. His 26 catches and 290 receiving yards tied him for second among freshman receivers in the Big 12.<\/p>\n<p>Transfer Josh Derry quickly caught the attention of his teammates and coaches, who raved about his explosiveness and his work ethic during spring camp. The 5-foot-9 Derry spent the past four seasons at Monmouth, where he earned All-American status while appearing in 30 games for the Hawks, finishing with 2,076 yards on 139 catches and 19 touchdowns.<\/p>\n<p>Jonathan Bibbs also arrived via the transfer market after playing at Louisiana-Monroe.<\/p>\n<p>There is also a core of returnees led by Day Day Farmer, who suffered a season-ending knee injury in fall camp. He\u2019s joined by Caleb Rollerson, Jordyn Bridgewater and brothers Carson and Chase Hinshaw.<\/p>\n<p>Read more <a href=\"https:\/\/orlandorelocationreport.com\/?p=5341\">Detroit Lions player Terrion Arnold in Florida jail, accused of directing violent confrontation<\/a><\/p>\n<p> <!--Ad-Slot: outstream_video--><\/p>\n<p>True freshman Tyren Hornes was a massive recruiting coup for the Knights, with the four-star product already turning heads in spring camp. Jordan Nunuhua is a midseason addition who could lay the foundation for the unit\u2019s future.<\/p>\n<p><strong>What they\u2019re saying<\/strong><\/p>\n<p>\u201cThe difference between this year and last year is we\u2019ve got some guys that were already in the system, and then the new guys we brought in are guys that really fit, who we believe will fit into our system well.\u201d \u2014 UCF wide receivers coach Sean Beckton Sr.<\/p>\n<p><strong>Returnees<\/strong><\/p>\n<p> <!--Ad-Slot: cube_article--><\/p>\n<p>Duane Thomas Jr.<br \/>\nWaden Charles<br \/>\nDay Day Farmer<br \/>\nJordyn Bridgewater<br \/>\nAndrea Parisi<br \/>\nCaleb Rollerson<br \/>\nCarson Hinshaw<br \/>\nChase Hinshaw<\/p>\n<p><strong>Arrivals<\/strong><\/p>\n<p>Josh Derry (Monmouth), senior<br \/>\nJonathan Bibbs (Louisiana-Monroe), redshirt sophomore<br \/>\nTyren Hornes (Booker), freshman<br \/>\nJordan Nunuha (St. Louis High), freshman<br \/>\nZack Palmer (Boone High), freshman<\/p>\n<p><strong>Departures<\/strong><\/p>\n<p>DJ Black (transfer to South Carolina): 22 catches, 273 receiving yards, 2 TDs<br \/>\nChris Domercant (eligibility): 21 catches, 212 receiving yards, 2 TDs<br \/>\nMarcus Burke (eligibility): 13 catches, 181 receiving yards<br \/>\nCarl Jenkins Jr. (transfer to Miami of Ohio): 3 catches for 32 yards<br \/>\nBredell Richardson (transfer to Tulane)<br \/>\nDwartney Wortham (transfer to Furman)<\/p>\n<p><strong>Projected depth chart<\/strong><\/p>\n<p>WR1 \u2014 Duane Thomas Jr.<br \/>\nWR2 \u2014 Waden Charles<br \/>\nWR3 \u2014 Josh Derry<br \/>\nWR4 \u2014 Jonathan Bibbs<\/p>\n<h4>Previous Position Breakdown<\/h4>\n<p>Quarterback<br \/>\nRunning back<\/p>\n<p><em>Please find me on X, Bluesky or Instagram @osmattmurschel. Email: mmurschel@orlandosentinel.com. Sign up for the Sentinel\u2019s Knights Weekly newsletter for a roundup of all our UCF coverage.<\/em><\/p>\n<p>Read more <a href=\"https:\/\/orlandorelocationreport.com\/?p=5340\">74-year-old man facing execution would be oldest put to death in modern Florida history<\/a><\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>After facing a season of uncertainty at wide receiver, the Knights have build a solid core group anchored by veteran Duane Thomas Jr.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":5344,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[22,6],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-5345","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-college-sports","category-sports"],"yoast_head":"<!-- This site is optimized with the Yoast SEO plugin v27.6 - https:\/\/yoast.com\/product\/yoast-seo-wordpress\/ -->\n<title>UCF position preview: Wide receivers bring much-needed experience - 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