Lehigh University Athletics
Lehigh Football Preview: Wide Receivers and Tight Ends
8/23/2019 12:17:00 PM | Football
Throughout the month of August Lehighsports.com will be taking a position-by-position look at the 2019 Lehigh football team. The Mountain Hawks, under the direction of first-year head coach Tom Gilmore, opened preseason camp on August 1 and are preparing for the 2019 season-opener August 31 versus Saint Francis at Goodman Stadium.
Our series concludes with a look at Lehigh's wide receivers and tight ends.
Wide Receivers
Lehigh returns some proven talent at the wide receiver position, but with five of the 11 receivers on the roster in their first year, it's also one of the Mountain Hawks' youngest position groups.
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Leading the way for the receiving corps will be junior Jorge Portorreal and senior Devon Bibbens. Portorreal earned first team All-Patriot League honors after leading the league in receiving yards per game. Bibbens averaged a team-best 17.5 yards per catch in his first season as a starter. Portorreal and Bibbens tied for the team lead with three touchdown catches in 2018. Portorreal does most of his damage from the slot, while Bibbens will work on the outside.
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"We have big play potential at our wide receiver spots," Gilmore said. "It's just a matter of getting them the ball in different ways so that defenses can't key on them or make adjustments to shut us down. Scott (Brisson) will do a great job of mixing the run and the pass.
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Sophomore Austin Dambach could have the upper had on the other starting outside receiver positon. Dambach appeared in all 11 games as a freshman and had 11 receptions including touchdown catches against Princeton and Fordham.
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"Jorge is the guy most people think about, being an all-league guy," Gilmore said. "He made some big plays last year, but I'm really excited about the rest of the guys. I'm excited about how they've developed physically over the spring and summer. Watching these guys in the weight room and in some of the other things we do, you can see a physical difference in those guys. That might be the easiest position group to see those changes in. Guys like Dambach and Bibbens are really hard workers in the weight room. They're going to be big play potential guys for us as well."
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Junior Matt Jordan was a contributor on special teams last season and will vie for more time at wide receiver. Sophomore De'Shun Mickens and junior Matt Solomon will battle for expanded roles on the outside.
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The Mountain Hawks group of first year receivers includes Jalen Burbage, Matt DiPietro, Johnny Foley, Ryan Gogerty and Jack Sutton.
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"The transition from high school football to college football for a lot of these guys is difficult," Gilmore said. "We do run a relatively sophisticated offense, but it's something they really get into, especially the skill guys. It's something they see themselves succeeding in. The big play potential is there, so they're really motivated to learn the system. It's not just learning routes for the receivers and tight ends, its learning to adjust to defenses, being able to read defenses, and to get on the same page with our quarterbacks. That will come together but it does take a little bit of time."
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Tight Ends
Lehigh enters camp with five tight ends in one of its youngest position groups. Last year's starter, Dan Scassera, has graduated. Alex Snyder appeared in all 11 games as a freshman and performed well while receiving extra reps throughout spring practice. Snyder appears to have the upper hand for a starting spot.
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"Our tight ends are going to be a big part of our passing game," Gilmore said. That has been a staple in the Lehigh offense over the years. Maybe not every year. Alex Snyder has made amazing progress from a physical standpoint. He had a really good spring. I was impressed with his aggressiveness in the run game, being able to stick his nose in there and doing a really good job with his blocking. He's done a good job with his route running, but he's really gained that experience reading defenses and knowing how to adjust his routes appropriately, based on the coverages we're getting."
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Senior Matt Prendergast moved from defensive end to tight end prior to last season but made most of his contributions on special teams.
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The Mountain Hawks welcome a trio of first year tight ends into the fray: Ian O'Connor from New Jersey, Colin McMahon from Oregon and Kyle Smith from Massachusetts.
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Our series concludes with a look at Lehigh's wide receivers and tight ends.
Wide Receivers
Lehigh returns some proven talent at the wide receiver position, but with five of the 11 receivers on the roster in their first year, it's also one of the Mountain Hawks' youngest position groups.
Â
Leading the way for the receiving corps will be junior Jorge Portorreal and senior Devon Bibbens. Portorreal earned first team All-Patriot League honors after leading the league in receiving yards per game. Bibbens averaged a team-best 17.5 yards per catch in his first season as a starter. Portorreal and Bibbens tied for the team lead with three touchdown catches in 2018. Portorreal does most of his damage from the slot, while Bibbens will work on the outside.
Â
"We have big play potential at our wide receiver spots," Gilmore said. "It's just a matter of getting them the ball in different ways so that defenses can't key on them or make adjustments to shut us down. Scott (Brisson) will do a great job of mixing the run and the pass.
Â
Sophomore Austin Dambach could have the upper had on the other starting outside receiver positon. Dambach appeared in all 11 games as a freshman and had 11 receptions including touchdown catches against Princeton and Fordham.
Â
"Jorge is the guy most people think about, being an all-league guy," Gilmore said. "He made some big plays last year, but I'm really excited about the rest of the guys. I'm excited about how they've developed physically over the spring and summer. Watching these guys in the weight room and in some of the other things we do, you can see a physical difference in those guys. That might be the easiest position group to see those changes in. Guys like Dambach and Bibbens are really hard workers in the weight room. They're going to be big play potential guys for us as well."
Â
Junior Matt Jordan was a contributor on special teams last season and will vie for more time at wide receiver. Sophomore De'Shun Mickens and junior Matt Solomon will battle for expanded roles on the outside.
Â
The Mountain Hawks group of first year receivers includes Jalen Burbage, Matt DiPietro, Johnny Foley, Ryan Gogerty and Jack Sutton.
Â
"The transition from high school football to college football for a lot of these guys is difficult," Gilmore said. "We do run a relatively sophisticated offense, but it's something they really get into, especially the skill guys. It's something they see themselves succeeding in. The big play potential is there, so they're really motivated to learn the system. It's not just learning routes for the receivers and tight ends, its learning to adjust to defenses, being able to read defenses, and to get on the same page with our quarterbacks. That will come together but it does take a little bit of time."
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Tight Ends
Lehigh enters camp with five tight ends in one of its youngest position groups. Last year's starter, Dan Scassera, has graduated. Alex Snyder appeared in all 11 games as a freshman and performed well while receiving extra reps throughout spring practice. Snyder appears to have the upper hand for a starting spot.
Â
"Our tight ends are going to be a big part of our passing game," Gilmore said. That has been a staple in the Lehigh offense over the years. Maybe not every year. Alex Snyder has made amazing progress from a physical standpoint. He had a really good spring. I was impressed with his aggressiveness in the run game, being able to stick his nose in there and doing a really good job with his blocking. He's done a good job with his route running, but he's really gained that experience reading defenses and knowing how to adjust his routes appropriately, based on the coverages we're getting."
Â
Senior Matt Prendergast moved from defensive end to tight end prior to last season but made most of his contributions on special teams.
Â
The Mountain Hawks welcome a trio of first year tight ends into the fray: Ian O'Connor from New Jersey, Colin McMahon from Oregon and Kyle Smith from Massachusetts.
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