Western Kentucky delivered in a big way in 2015 as they went a perfect 8-0 in conference play and posted a 12-2 record overall. The Hilltoppers reloaded with an eye on repeating as Conference USA champions and with an absolutely loaded roster it should be no surprise that they have at least one entry on this list. Here is a look at the best skill position players in Conference USA heading in to the 2016 season.
QB: Nick Mullens, Southern Miss
Marshall’s Chase Litton and Middle Tennessee’s Brent Stockstill both received consideration for this spot but ultimately, it went to Mullens based on his combination of skill and experience. The senior quarterback has made 30 career starts and he is coming off an impressive season in which he threw for more than 4,400 yards and 38 touchdowns. Mullens was extremely efficient a year ago when he completed 64% of his passes and if he can match that efficiency in 2016 then the Golden Eagles’ offense will once again be very difficult to slow down. This is an offense that tends to play in a lot of video game-type of contests, so expect to see plenty of back and forth, plenty of scoring and plenty of stats piled up for Mullens and company.
RB: Ito Smith, Southern Miss
There is plenty of exciting talent at the running back position throughout Conference USA but Smith is arguably the best of them after he dominated at Southern Miss a year ago. Smith averaged 6.6 yards per carry while rushing for 1,128 yards and 10 touchdowns in his sophomore season and the consensus is that he has the potential to put up even better numbers this year with more talent around him. His versatility and elusiveness make him a threat to break off big runs every time he touches the football and the Golden Eagles are hoping for more big numbers from Smith in 2016.
WR: Taywan Taylor, Western Kentucky
The Western Kentucky offense was outstanding in 2015 with Taylor among the biggest reasons for it. The speed receiver ranked third in the entire country with 1,467 receiving yards and second in the nation with 17 touchdown grabs to easily top Conference USA in both categories. The big play receiver averaged just over 17 yards per catch a year ago and finished with eight games with at least 100 receiving yards. Taylor will have a new quarterback throwing him the football in 2016 but we don’t expect him to miss a beat as the top receiver in the conference.
WR: Richie James, Middle Tennessee
James thrilled in his debut season at Middle Tennessee with 108 catches for 1,346 yards and eight touchdowns in 2015. Now he will look to top those numbers in his sophomore season. James will once again be Stockstill’s favorite target in the Blue Raiders’ offense and the potential is there for that tandem to deliver even better numbers in an encore performance after both excelled in their freshman seasons. We’ll see if Middle Tennessee has enough to challenge for a Conference USA title but either way, they are going to be a team that plays in some high scoring games. They scored at least 31 points in each of their last three games while averaging 32 points per game over their final seven contests. Expect more of the same in 2016, which means James should be piling up the numbers in the weekly box scores.
TE: Jonnu Smith, Florida International
Smith has recorded 136 catches for more than 1,400 yards and 14 touchdowns throughout his first three seasons at Florida International and if he can stay healthy for the entire upcoming regular season, he could finish with the best numbers of his career. He had 39 catches in 2013, jumped up to 61 in 2014 but had just 36 last year with 397 yards and four touchdowns. He should be able to surpass his 2014 numbers this year.
The 6’3’’, 232-pound tight end is extremely hard to contain and if it weren’t for injuries he would have set career-highs in 2015. Jonnu will get another shot to put up big numbers in the Golden Panthers offense this season and he should emerge as the top tight end in Conference USA.
