ST JOSEPH, Mo. — The 2022 Griffon Football receiving corps is coming off one of its most successful seasons statistically in a decade, bringing back an All-MIAA weapon with plenty of speed and size to boot.
Ryan Watts is back for his fifth season as Missouri Western's wide receivers coach. Doubling down as the team's recruiting coordinator, his knack for finding talented receivers brought one of St. Joseph's own — junior
Cooper Burton — to MWSU.
Burton and sophomore wideout
Traveon James are back to balance a team that averaged 34 points per game last year — the second most in the MIAA. Burton and James accumulated 700 and 639 receiving yards respectively — the first time two MWSU receivers have both hauled in 600 yards or more since Cedric Houston (1,006) and Adam Clausen (666) did so in 2009. The returning starters are joined by five freshmen, a returning sophomores and three transfers.
With Burton receiving honorable mention honors in the conference last season, Watts believes his group can continue to make a greater impact in the passing game.
"They're fun to coach," Watts said. "They like to go to work, so I don't really have to push them on that part of it. They'd like to have a good time out there in practice and go fly around. They're so enjoyable to be around."
#5 - JUNIOR - COOPER BURTON
2021 Stats (team rank)
Receptions: 41 (1st)
Yards: 700 (1st)
TD: 4 (2nd)
Height & Weight: 5-10, 160
MWSU Career Stats
Receptions: 58
Yards: 977
TD: 7
A 2018 Benton graduate, Burton begins his fifth year with Missouri Western Football. Slender, quick and skilled, Burton broke 700 yards even in 2021, recording four games with 90+ yards while averaging 63.4 per contest. His best performance came in week two of 2021 in a dogfight with Fort Hays State that saw MWSU win, 38-31.
Burton racked up a season-high 136 yards against FHSU, including the Griffons' longest play through the air that season with an 86-yard catch-and-score to ice the Tigers late in the third quarter. Before 2021, Burton played all 12 games in 2019, catching 17 balls for 277 yards and three touchdowns. After piecing together the first 700-yard season by a WR since Dijuan Ussery's 797 yards in 2016, Watts only sees Burton becoming more of a weapon.
"Coop is a lead by example kind of kid," Watts said. "He's the heart and soul of the room. We kind of go as he goes. We're going to move him around to a lot of different spots, find ways to get him the ball. Last year at 700 yards, we'd like to get him closer to 1,000 this year. We'd like to get him a lot more touches. He's explosive when he gets it. We need to find ways to get him to football. He'll be the guy for sure."
Watts says Burton will start in the slot for a second-straight season.
#3 - SOPHOMORE - TRAVEON JAMES
2021 Stats (team rank)
Receptions: 40 (2nd)
Yards: 639 (2nd)
TD: 5 (1st)
Height & Weight: 6-2, 193
A redshirt freshman from 2019 to 2020, James made the most out of his first season starting in St. Joseph. A nice complementary cog next to Burton, James put things together early, going off for 127 yards and two touchdowns on six catches in week three vs. Emporia State. Merely one week later, he recorded one of the greatest performances by a Griffon receiver.
James' 188 yards at Washburn in week four is tied with Jerris Evan's 1999 performance for the second most receiving yards in MWSU history. Not done rewriting the receiving records books, his 11 receptions are tied with Andrew Mead's 2010 tally for the second most catches in a game as well. With 13 pounds added on in the offseason, Watts sees James being an even bigger threat in the red zone.
"(Traveon's) got the best ball skills in the room for sure," Watts said. "He's the guy we'll put one-on-one as much as we can. I just let him go. He's more of an outside guy for the most part. We're going to move him around a good bit too, though. (James & Burton) — we really want to get more involved. They'll be the main two, but there'll be some transitions when younger guys step up."
#13 - SOPHOMORE - JULIAN WILLIAMS
2021 Stats (team rank)
Receptions: 1 (T-16th)
Yards: 4 (15th)
Height & Weight: 6-1, 185
Julian Williams is back for his third year as a Griffon and as the vocal leader for the wide receivers. Watts expects Williams to compete for a backup role in the slot with
Gaige Warren. His size at 6-1 gives him a physical advantage on the inside, standing taller than most slot receivers.
While he saw limited time on the field with four games played and a single four-yard reception, Watts looks to Williams in order to fire his guys up.
"He's probably the emotional leader of the room, especially for a guy who hasn't been on the field a whole lot," Watts said. "The guys who look up to him. He's one of the hardest workers in the room. He really turned it on come last fall."
#15 - FRESHMAN - PREVEN CHRISTON
High School/Hometown: Maize/Maize, Ks.
Height & Weight: 6-2, 195
Selected to the 2018 and 2019 Wichita Eagle High School Football All-Metro team,
Preven Christon set to see official action for the first time with Griffon Football. His first year in 2020 was cut down due to COVID, and he didn't see the field in 2021. However, Watts says Christon has turned some heads these last few months with impressive spring and summer camps by filling in for other players' injuries.
"Previn had the best spring I think I've ever seen anyone have," Watts said. "He had to step up and play a good bit. And he's, I mean, he was awesome. So, he's definitely going to be in the mix for us this year."
With Christon's 6-2 frame, Watts believes the third-year freshman can become a deadly asset in one-on-one matchups. The former Trojan took home the following honors: first team all-district; second team all-conference; and third team all-state.
#84 - FRESHMAN - GAIGE WARREN
High School/Hometown: Park Hill South/Kansas City, Mo.
Height & Weight: 5-9, 178
After redshirting last season and beefing up 18 pounds in the offseason,
Gaige Warren is competing for a backup role in the slot behind
Cooper Burton. According to Watts, Warren will be dueling it out with
Julian Williams for the spot. Academically, Warren has garnered awards with a selection on the previous school year's MIAA Newcomer Academic Honor Roll.
Warren's physical attributes were acknowledged during his days at Park Hill South. The former Trojan took home the following awards during his high school career: first team all-district; second team all-conference; and third team all-state.
"He'll get some rotational minutes in there," Watts said. "He was a pretty good punt returner in high school too. We'll see if he can push for that kind of spot."
#80 - JUNIOR - CALEB MARTIN
2021 Stats at Virginia at Wise (team rank)
Receptions: 10 (9th)
Yards: 111 (7th)
TD: 2 (T-4th)
Height & Weight: 6-3, 193
Quite literally the largest active receiver in the room,
Caleb Martin came to MWSU by way of Virginia at Wise where he saw action in three games. While he only has three official games under belt at the NCAA level, Martin was unmatched on his team with a strong yet unofficial 2020 season. In just three games that year, Martin caught 22 passes for 261 yards and four touchdowns — all team highs.
Martin also spent his redshirt freshman season in 2019 at Eastern Kentucky where he caught one pass for 15 yards. While his in-game experience is still developing, Watts lists Martin as the guy who will probably be the most physical receiver on the field.
"Caleb's definitely fighting for a spot," Watts said. "He's pushing those guys. He came in during the spring, learned the system and now he's got it under control. He's got some ball skills and some really good body control. We just needed more long-body-type kids who could go up and make a play. He's definitely that guy."
#17 - SENIOR - MYKEL SANTOS
2021 Stats at Maryville-Tennessee (team rank)
Receptions: 48 (1st)
Yards: 589 (1st)
TD: 5 (1st)
Height & Weight: 5-11, 183
A leader across the board at Division III Maryville-Tennessee in 2021,
Mykel Santos is bringing his speed to Buchanan County this season. Santos had at least three catches or more in his first nine games while breaking the century mark twice. His first time doing so came in week four against Methodist with seven receptions for 114 yards and one score.
While the Scots were only 4-5 at the point, Santos went scorched-earth again in week nine during a loss vs. Huntingdon, amassing a season-high eight grabs for 164 yards and one touchdown. Santos also brings a wrinkle to the return game. His 758 kickoff return yards were good enough to finish third in Division III. Averaging 23.7 yards per return, he brought one kick back 85 yards for paydirt in week seven against N.C. Wesleyan.
"Mykel might be the fastest kid in the room," Watts said. "He can run — he can really, really run. We got him outside right now, but he may move moving the slot some to kind of give Cooper a breather in there for some stuff. He can fly. He's in that
Kyle Berry category of a guy that really run and stretch the defense over the top."
FRESHMAN - CHRIS FLOYD, JR.
High School/Hometown: Glendale/Springfield, Mo.
Height & Weight: 6-2, 205
After the dust had settled on the 2021 Missouri high school football season, only five players in the Ozark area had totaled more receiving yards than Glendale's
Chris Floyd, Jr. The former Falcon-now-turned-Griffon rookie tallied 58 receptions for 783 yards and 10 touchdowns. His 10 trips to the end zone were the fourth most by any player in the area, and he scored 32 overall in his Glendale career.
Both 2020 and 2021 were good years for Floyd, Jr., as he made first team all-conference as both a return specialist and wide receiver. The three-year starter's talents were recognized via all-state in 2021 as well as academically for his efforts in the classroom. Floyd, Jr. is fighting his way through the depth chart, but Watts is confident the young receiver's size, IQ and dynamic skillset will make him a playmaker down the road.
"He's a puppy," Watts said. "He's a true freshman, so he's learning his way right now. He's going to be a player for us in the future."
Since joining MWSU, Floyd, Jr. has packed on the pounds, pumping up from 195 pounds to 205.
#82 - SOPHOMORE - AMIR SPIVEY
High School/Hometown: Westlake/Atlanta, Ga.
Height & Weight: 5-10, 154
Signed to the squad a week before camp,
Amir Spivey coms by way of the South after playing most of his high school career as a cornerback. Built similar to
Cooper Burton and strapped with speed, Watts sees Spivey as a welcome addition to the team who can contribute later down the road.
"He's going to be good for us," Watts said. "He's another smaller guy that can really run."
FRESHMAN - WILL TAGART
High School/Hometown: Horizon/Thornton, Co.
Height & Weight: 5-10, 195
Will Tagart's senior season at Horizon was highlighted by 42 receptions for 429 yards, two touchdowns and a long catch of 80. After converting from playing quarterback and wide receiver most of high school, Watts believes Tagart has made solid strides.
"He'll be a developmental kid, but he's trying," Watts said. "He's really working hard at it, and he's come a long way in these last couple of weeks."
FRESHMAN - WILLS JOHNSTON
High School/Hometown: Central/St. Joseph, Mo.
Height & Weight: 5-11, 165
A hometown soccer athlete who didn't play football until the second half of the season during his senior year at Central,
Wills Johnston possesses some of the quickest feet in the room. Johnston has a knack for making defenders miss on the first go-around with sure, steady hands to help make him a quarterback's best friend. After graduating from Central in 2021, Johnston enters his second season working with Watts.
"He has made amazing strides in his two years he's been here," Watts said. "He's come a long way. I'm proud of him. He's good kid. The other kids love him."
Gallery: (8-19-2022) 2022 MWSU FB WRs
