Middle Tennessee State University Athletics
O'Hara building good connections with plethora of receivers
8/26/2020 12:00:00 PM | Football
MURFREESBORO, Tenn. — When Asher O'Hara took the reins of Middle Tennessee's offense in 2019, he had one of the program's all-time best receivers to lean on in Ty Lee.
Lee led the team in receptions (47) and was second in yards (525), and for his career ranks as the program's leader in receptions (260) and receiving touchdowns (24) while being third in yards (3,062).
Maybe more than his on-the-field production, Lee was a leader for the receivers, showing them how to work each day and fit into offensive coordinator Tony Franklin's system.
Without Lee in 2020, a new name has to step into that No. 1 wideout role. Luckily for O'Hara, he has plenty of options.
"We have a lot of depth and some great players, so we know whatever happens, we'll have someone good step up out there," O'Hara said.
The Blue Raiders have the luxury of returning 65% of their receiving yards from last year, including team leader Jarrin Pierce, who caught 42 passes for 562 yards and four touchdowns in his first season with the blue and white.
Senior Jimmy Marshall is also returning after a breakout campaign in 2019, when he had 35 receptions for 513 yards and a team-high six touchdown catches.
They have just about everything O'Hara could want — size, speed, experience and spectacular catch ability. They have senior leadership from Pierce, Marshall and CJ Windham, plus plenty of youngsters ready to make a name for themselves.
"I've seen a lot from the young guys," Windham said. "They're learning extremely quick because they're getting a lot of reps with what's going on. I like what I've seen from them all."
Windham is hoping to put a whole season together after missing time the last two seasons due to injury.
If he's able to play every game in 2020, he could very well be the team's best weapon in the red zone. He scored seven touchdowns combined the last two years in just 10 games.
"It means the world to me to finally be healthy," Windham said. "I've been nicked and bruised the last two seasons … and I'm just thankful to God and thankful for the recovery process."
In Middle Tennessee's first scrimmage of fall camp, the biggest play came from sophomore wideout DJ England-Chisolm, who showcased his world-class speed taking a screen pass for a long touchdown.
England-Chisolm fits the Lee type of mold. He's small, only standing 5-foot-7 and 150 pounds, but he's fast and a crisp route runner.
An injury limited England-Chisolm to nine games his freshman season, when he caught six balls for 162 yards. His lone touchdown was electrifying, though, when he took a pass 80 yards to the house against Tennessee State, the longest reception in program history for a freshman.
"He brings so much to the table," O'Hara said. "He's going to be super special this year, and we're trying to get him the ball as much as we can because we know as soon as he gets it, he can score at any moment on any part of the field. That's exciting."
Another youngster, Jaylin Lane, showed in the second scrimmage he's not an average freshman. Twice he caught balls from O'Hara along either sideline for first downs and had to contort his body to stay in bounds.
Lane was an all-state honoree during his senior year at Clover High School (SC), racking up 76 receptions for 1,611 yards and 30 touchdowns.
"He's a really special talent," O'Hara said. "He's super smart and knows coverages already, and he's not thinking when he's playing. It seems like he's a natural."
O'Hara had a solid first year under center for MT a season ago, finishing seventh on the program's single-season passing yards list (2,616) while throwing 20 touchdowns against only eight interceptions.
Heading into 2020, he seems to have a plethora of talented wideouts to throw to, both old and young. He'll lean on that depth to help the Blue Raider offense be even better.
Lee led the team in receptions (47) and was second in yards (525), and for his career ranks as the program's leader in receptions (260) and receiving touchdowns (24) while being third in yards (3,062).
Maybe more than his on-the-field production, Lee was a leader for the receivers, showing them how to work each day and fit into offensive coordinator Tony Franklin's system.
Without Lee in 2020, a new name has to step into that No. 1 wideout role. Luckily for O'Hara, he has plenty of options.
"We have a lot of depth and some great players, so we know whatever happens, we'll have someone good step up out there," O'Hara said.
The Blue Raiders have the luxury of returning 65% of their receiving yards from last year, including team leader Jarrin Pierce, who caught 42 passes for 562 yards and four touchdowns in his first season with the blue and white.
Senior Jimmy Marshall is also returning after a breakout campaign in 2019, when he had 35 receptions for 513 yards and a team-high six touchdown catches.
They have just about everything O'Hara could want — size, speed, experience and spectacular catch ability. They have senior leadership from Pierce, Marshall and CJ Windham, plus plenty of youngsters ready to make a name for themselves.
"I've seen a lot from the young guys," Windham said. "They're learning extremely quick because they're getting a lot of reps with what's going on. I like what I've seen from them all."
Windham is hoping to put a whole season together after missing time the last two seasons due to injury.
If he's able to play every game in 2020, he could very well be the team's best weapon in the red zone. He scored seven touchdowns combined the last two years in just 10 games.
"It means the world to me to finally be healthy," Windham said. "I've been nicked and bruised the last two seasons … and I'm just thankful to God and thankful for the recovery process."
In Middle Tennessee's first scrimmage of fall camp, the biggest play came from sophomore wideout DJ England-Chisolm, who showcased his world-class speed taking a screen pass for a long touchdown.
England-Chisolm fits the Lee type of mold. He's small, only standing 5-foot-7 and 150 pounds, but he's fast and a crisp route runner.
An injury limited England-Chisolm to nine games his freshman season, when he caught six balls for 162 yards. His lone touchdown was electrifying, though, when he took a pass 80 yards to the house against Tennessee State, the longest reception in program history for a freshman.
"He brings so much to the table," O'Hara said. "He's going to be super special this year, and we're trying to get him the ball as much as we can because we know as soon as he gets it, he can score at any moment on any part of the field. That's exciting."
Another youngster, Jaylin Lane, showed in the second scrimmage he's not an average freshman. Twice he caught balls from O'Hara along either sideline for first downs and had to contort his body to stay in bounds.
Lane was an all-state honoree during his senior year at Clover High School (SC), racking up 76 receptions for 1,611 yards and 30 touchdowns.
"He's a really special talent," O'Hara said. "He's super smart and knows coverages already, and he's not thinking when he's playing. It seems like he's a natural."
O'Hara had a solid first year under center for MT a season ago, finishing seventh on the program's single-season passing yards list (2,616) while throwing 20 touchdowns against only eight interceptions.
Heading into 2020, he seems to have a plethora of talented wideouts to throw to, both old and young. He'll lean on that depth to help the Blue Raider offense be even better.
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