ORONO, Maine — The University of Maine football team’s wide receiver corps is the strength of the team.
The top three pass-catchers off last year’s team each caught at least 36 balls, and they have combined to play in 101 career games.
Graduate student Jamie Lamson, who had caught two career passes entering the 2023 campaign, hauled in a team-best 49 passes for 552 yards and six touchdowns.
Senior Montigo Moss caught 37 passes for 408 yards and three touchdowns, and graduate student Joe Gillette, who transferred to UMaine from Lafayette College (Pa.), caught 36 passes for a team-high 570 yards and five TDs.
Michael Monios was the fourth-leading receiver with 28 catches for 296 yards and a TD, and he is also back as a graduate student.
He has 36 career games under his belt compared to Lamson’s 35 and 33 apiece for Moss and Gillette.
UMaine head coach Jordan Stevens said he feels great about the group because they know how to work.
“We have to make sure we get them involved and that they have a big role within our offense because they’re all playmakers,” said Stevens.
Gillette has 106 receptions for 1,498 yards and seven TDs during his career between Lafayette and UMaine; Moss has 81 catches for 955 yards and nine TDs; Monios has 56 grabs for 595 yards and a pair of TDs; and Lamson has 51 catches for 571 yards and six TDs.
Newly appointed starting quarterback Carter Peevy, a transfer from Mercer University in Georgia, praised the receivers for their knowledge and passion for the game.
“They know how to run routes in different situations. They’re real tacticians when it comes to routes and their angles and how they get off the ball,” said Peevy.
The receivers are a tight-knit group who share tips in order to improve.
“We bounce ideas off each other,” said Moss, son of National Football League Hall of Fame wide receiver Randy Moss. “We critique each other. We watch film on each other. We watch film together. We do everything together.”
Lamson agreed.
“The biggest thing is we learn from each other,” said Lamson. “We’ll see something someone does in practice and we’ll gain from that. That helps us with our chemistry. We know what we’re good at and that helps the offense be dynamic.”
Moss said they have one of the most experienced receiving corps in the Football Championship Subdivision.
“A lot of guys have showed they could perform,” said Moss.
Gillette pointed out that they have also added some promising young receivers along with transfer Molayo Irefin, a Division III All-American at Saint Vincent College in Pennsylvania.
“We’re really deep,” said Gillette. “[Irefin] is doing really well. We can definitely get the ball all over the field.”
Stevens said Irefin has the potential to be an outstanding player and that redshirt freshman Nick Laughlin from Cape Elizabeth has made significant strides.
Lamson said he has worked on his strength to help him become a better blocker.
He wants to be a consistent performer this season.
“I’m going to implement the same things I did last year and try to help the team win,” said Lamson who feels the offense has vastly improved over a year ago.
Moss said he has taken on more of a vocal leadership role and wants to help everyone improve through his encouragement.
He said he has focused on improving all areas of his game.
“Quickness, speed, agility, elusiveness, breaking tackles, getting separation during routes, in and out of breaks. I’ve honed in on everything,” said Moss.
Gillette said he has better chemistry with the team this year.
“Last year, I didn’t get in here until a month before (training) camp. Throughout the year, I built better bonds with everyone on the team,” said Gillette.
Gillette’s goal for the season is simple.
“I want to win games. That’s all that matters,” said Gillette.
UMaine has gone 2-9 in each of the last two seasons.
“I feel very good about the season,” said Moss, who noted that UMaine has suffered a lot of close losses.
Eight of the team’s 18 losses the past two seasons were by seven points or less.
Stevens expects his team to do a much better job running the football this season and that will put his receivers in better and more sustainable positions to make plays and be involved.
“That will only help us,” said Stevens, whose Black Bears will open the season at home against Colgate at 7 p.m. Friday.
