ODUSports.com will do a position by position preview this week of the football Monarchs. Today we preview the wide receivers and tight ends.
Wide Receivers
| No. | Name | Class | Ht. | Wt. |
| 80 | Darrell Brown | Fr-r. | 5-9 | 165 |
| 9 | Jonathan Duhart | Jr. | 6-3 | 221 |
| 8 | Noah Ellison | Fr. | 6-2 | 189 |
| 7 | Travis Fulgham | So-r. | 6-3 | 214 |
| 81 | Corey Gray | Fr. | 5-8 | 175 |
| 15 | Isaiah Harper | So-r. | 5-9 | 168 |
| 5 | Eri'Reon Hayes | So. | 6-2 | 199 |
| 83 | Jake Herslow | Fr. | 6-0 | 159 |
| 2 | Marques Little | Jr. | 5-9 | 175 |
| 18 | Scott McCluney | Fr. | 6-1 | 160 |
| 84 | Kevin Todd | Fr. | 6-2 | 200 |
| 6 | Zach Pascal | Sr-r. | 6-2 | 211 |
| 3 | Hasaan Patterson | Fr-r. | 6-2 | 197 |
| 4 | Kesean Strong | So. | 5-10 | 191 |
The Monarchs return 92 percent of its receiving yards from last season, including the top five pass catchers from a season ago.
The group is led by senior Zach Pascal, who is ranked as the No. 22 draftable wide receiver coming into the season by Phil Steele. Pascal led ODU with 68 catches for 970 yards and eight touchdowns. He did it all last year for the Monarchs, completing a 47-yard pass, rushing for a 75-yard touchdown at FIU and he led the team in kick return yards.
Jonathan Duhart made big strides in between his freshman and sophomore campaigns, and ODU will look for the same as he is now a junior. After catching seven passes for 127 yards as a freshman, Duhart grabbed 47 passes for 636 yards and eight touchdowns last season. Duhart continues to get bigger and stronger and adds a solid second option to compliment Pascal in the passing game.
Another junior, Marques Little took a jump as a sophomore catching 23 passes for 221 yards and a pair of touchdowns. Little made a 12-catch improvement from his first to second year and will look for another improvement this season.
Eri’Reon Hayes, Travis Fulgham and Kesean Strong all made strides throughout the 2015 season.
Hayes started the final six games of the 2015 season, and caught eight passes for 120 yards. Fulgham had the best game of his career against Charlotte when he caught three passes for 65 yards. He finished the year with six receptions for 89 yards. Strong transitioned from running back to receiver and caught six passes for 46 yards and looks to continue to improve.
Hasaan Patterson redshirted last season and now joins the group that will compete for playing time along with newcomers Noah Ellison and Scott McCluney.
Tight Ends
| No. | Name | Class | Ht. | Wt. |
| 89 | Tyreim Blake | Fr-r. | 6-2 | 230 |
| 87 | T.J. Boothe | Jr. | 6-2 | 226 |
| 85 | Nijee Cox | Fr-r. | 6-3 | 234 |
| 82 | Cortez Chase-Ervin | Fr. | 6-3 | 219 |
| 44 | Marcus Joyner | Fr. | 6-2 | 250 |
| 88 | Adam Swann | Fr-r. | 6-5 | 237 |
| 1 | Melvin Vaughn | Jr-r. | 6-2 | 259 |
| 14 | Joey Verhaegh | So-r. | 6-3 | 226 |
ODU planned to deploy a tight end last year, but that idea was erased in camp when Melvin Vaughn and Adam Swann went down for the year with injuries less than a week apart. Both will be ready to participate in fall camp.
Vaughn has played a vital role in the offense in 2014, catching 30 passes for 315 yards and three touchdowns, but will see his role expanded to more of a tight end role this season.
Former quarterback Joey Verhaegh was moved to tight end in the spring and was arguably the surprise of practice, as he showed good hands and a burst after catching the ball.
Junior T.J. Boothe looks to make an impact on offense this year. He has spent his first two years as a special teams stalwart.
Nijee Cox redshirted last season and the unit brings in freshmen Cortez Chase-Ervin and Marcus Joyner.
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