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Takeaways: Luke Wells, Dalton Rigdon and KeSean Carter

The countdown to the season opener against Houston Baptist continues to close in as the Red Raiders continue to progress through practice.

Inside receivers and tight ends coach Luke Wells, along with inside receivers KeSean Carter and Dalton Rigdon were available to speak to the media this afternoon and talked about the progress of the position as well as fitting through the difficult and odd times at hand.

The tight ends and inside receivers

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Coach Wells relayed the room at tight end beginning with returner Travis Koontz playing further ahead than he was in last year’s first-year system under head coach Matt Wells.

“Playing faster, he’s got a lot of confidence,” Wells said. “I’ll tell you what, he looks great, carrying his weight well, he’s running well, blocking well, and then, he’s doing a really nice job.”

Wells is expecting his tight ends to make more plays, including the catch in traffic, not just relying of a flag or leaving it go over their heads.

Wells also mentioned San Mateo transfer and sophomore Jason Lloyd doing well in practice and picking things up fast. Freshman John Holcomb, who has been mentioned a few times by Matt Wells and offensive coordinator David Yost, has also been doing great things, saying he has a motor. Another promising athlete is Connor Killian.

“Connor’s been around the program for a number of years now,” Wells said, “and Connor’s had significant improvement. Even from our first three practices last spring, he’s done a nice job in quarantining. You can tell he’s working out.”

For the inside receivers, the competition there is very competitive. Dalton Rigdon and KeSean Carter return and look to fill those spots. For Rigdon, Wells said for one, he is fast, and anytime Ridgon catches the ball, there is a chance he is going to score.

“He’s a guy that’s naturally an explosive player,” Wells said. “He did a lot for us last year. The thing we’re working on this year is he’s got to be a better blocker. He’s got to be more physical. He works constantly with his route running and one-on-ones, and he’s starting to perfect that and getting better at that. He’s a consistent guy everyday with his speed and the way he catches the ball, and that’s going to give you a chance to be successful with a guy at that position like that.”

Dalton Rigdon sprints down the sideline for a long touchdown last season against the UTEP Miners.
Dalton Rigdon sprints down the sideline for a long touchdown last season against the UTEP Miners. (Billy Watson | Red Raider Sports)

Rigdon, a speedster

Junior Dalton Rigdon went for four catches for 486 yards and five touchdowns and arose as one the top receivers last season, including showcasing his speed after the catch.

Rigdon, like many college athletes over the long summer, had a unique experience and said he did a lot of different things in his free time.

“I’ve just been trying to get into the playbook more,” Rigdon said. “Coming and having a brand-new offense for the first year, you know you’re going to have some bumps in the road. So, going back and looking at film from the previous fall and really just diving in the playbook and making sure that everything is sharp and fine-tuned. So that way when we came back, it wasn’t practice-one. It felt like practice 10, 11, 12… just continuing to build on top of what we already had done in the spring that what had gotten cut short. So, that was a big thing…”

Rigdon also said there are a couple tendencies he noticed about himself that he would like to improve on, those like coming off the ball slow and blocking.

“Just being able to lay down good blocks for the outside guys knowing that they’re going to do the same for me,” Rigdon said. “Really, just trying to improve everything. Once you get more into your playbook and you see a signal from the sideline, or you get it from the quarterback, and you instantly know what’s going on. You don’t have to hesitate, play a lot faster, and things just go a lot smoother.”

KeSean Carter makes an over-the-shoulder catch for a touchdown last season against the Oklahoma State Cowboys.
KeSean Carter makes an over-the-shoulder catch for a touchdown last season against the Oklahoma State Cowboys. (Billy Watson | Red Raider Sports)

KeSean, another speedster

Sophomore KeSean Carter really found his calling moving from outside to the slot receiver hauling in 27 receptions for 303 yards and two touchdowns.

Carter said he has picked up where he left off well after ending the season on a high note in Austin, where he caught 11 passes for 150 yards and a touchdown against the Longhorns.

“Just been attacking the field everyday at practice,” Carter said, “getting my teammates better and working with (Rigdon) every day. Just working on my footwork, just picking up where I left off.”

Matt Wells and other staff have mentioned the talent at wideout many times, and Carter agrees there is a lot of competition and talent in the room.

“Myles Price, just a young guy that’s going to make an impact in the slot,” Carter said. “You got JJ Sparkman, you got Loic Fouonji… everybody is just improving every day as we come out to practice, getting each other better, and Myles has just bring anything to the table after the catch, and he’s going to be a big spark to the offense.”

Carter also mentioned he is faster than Myles Price.

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