HAMMOND, La. – The Southeastern Louisiana football team’s wide receiving corps will be looking to make the most of increased opportunities in the upcoming 2018 season.
Southeastern returns 10 of the top 11 pass catchers from a season ago. However, that doesn’t equate to a huge amount of production returning. The Lions threw the ball on less than 30 percent of their offensive snaps last season, thanks in large part to boasting the nation’s No. 3 rushing offense.
The return of offensive coordinator Greg Stevens in December is expected to bring more balance to the Lion attack. Southeastern has no shortage of talented performers poised to take advantage of more playmaking chances.
Sophomore Austin Mitchell is the top returning receiver for SLU. As a freshman, the Plaquemine, Louisiana native caught a team-high five touchdowns and led the Lions with 30.2 yards per reception.
Junior Juwan Petit-Frere, a consensus All-American kick returner in 2017 after leading FCS with 34.6 yards per return, is expected to have an increased role in the passing game.
Senior Jariah Tolbert, senior Nih-jer Jackson, senior Jake Ingraffia, junior Javon Conner, junior Jacq’co Price and senior Ross Foreman all return for the Lions. Redshirt freshman CJ Turner and junior transfer Marquis Williams are among the new faces who could provide an immediate positive impact on the Southeastern receiving corps.
The SLU pass catches will benefit from the expertise of first-year wide receivers coach and special teams coordinator Micheal Spurlock. Spurlock, a nine-year NFL veteran who played collegiately at Ole Miss, has seen his position group make positive strides as the season draws closer.
“Our guys are hungry and what I like is they’re always asking questions and striving to be better,” Spurlock said. “We’ve gelled as a family and it’s been great to see how we’ve grown since the start of spring. I’m pleased with where we’re at as a group, but we still need to continue to build.”
Spurlock believes the group’s camaraderie has been a huge benefit and has the expectation of constant improvement for his group.
“One thing we’ve focused on that our players have really embraced is the importance of being unselfish and supporting each other,” Spurlock commented. “They can’t only hear from me; sometimes the best coaching happens from teammate to teammate. We’ve done a great job supporting each other.
“Our guys know that I may like a proud Papa after a good day, but I’m never totally satisfied,” Spurlock added. “We can always do something better. We’re focused on improving and giving maximum effort every time we’re on the field. If we can improve from game-to-game and provide consistent production, we’ll be a success.”
Southeastern returns to the practice field on Thursday at 3:30 p.m. The Lions open the 2018 season with a 7 p.m. contest on Aug. 30 at ULM.
SEASON TICKET INFORMATION
For season ticket information, please contact the Southeastern Athletics Ticket Office at (985) 549-5466 or visit www.LionSports.net/tickets. The Lions will welcome conference foes Central Arkansas (Sept. 15), Northwestern State (Sept. 29), Houston Baptist (Oct. 13 – Homecoming), Abilene Christian (Oct. 20 – Hall of Fame Game) and McNeese (Nov. 3).
Season ticket holders will also be able to participate in the Season Ticket Party, set for Aug. 25 from 10:30 a.m. – 12:30 p.m. in the south end zone of Strawberry Stadium.
CLEAR BAG POLICY
Southeastern Athletics has instituted a clear bag policy for all ticketed events, effective with the start of football season. For more information on the clear bag policy, visit www.LionSports.net/clear.
TOUCHDOWN CLUB / S CLUB
Fans interested in becoming active supporters of the football program are encouraged to join the Touchdown Club. Lion football alums are encouraged to join the exclusive S Club, which is restricted to Southeastern athletic letterwinners.
All membership fees and donations to both the Touchdown Club and S Club (football) are available for the exclusive use of the Southeastern football program. Membership information is available by contacting the Lion Athletics Association at la*@so**********.edu or (985) 549-5091 or visiting www.LionUp.com.
SOCIAL MEDIA/#SelfieWithScelfo
For more information on Southeastern Football, follow @SLUFootball and @Coach_Scelfo on Twitter, like /SLUathletics on Facebook and subscribe to the SLUathletics YouTube channel.
Fans can also win a pair of SLU Football season tickets by participating in the #SelfieWithScelfo campaign during the month of August. Follow @SLU_athletictix on Twitter for more information.
Fall Camp Key Dates
Aug. 25 – 10:30 a.m. – 12:30 p.m. (Season Ticket Party); 2 p.m. (Media Day)
