Football
- Title:
- Wide Receivers
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• Coach Daikiel Shorts on Twitter
• The 2023 season was the third for Daikiel Shorts Jr. as wide receivers coach at Houston after moving into a full-time coaching role in June 2021.
• Since the start of the 2021 season, Houston ranks fifth nationally in receiving touchdowns (96), 12th in receptions (905) and 16th in receiving yards (10,780). Houston's 25 games of 250+ receiving yards in that timeframe also ranks 11th nationally.
• Three Houston student-athletes have been recognized a combined four times as All-Conference honorees including Matthew Golden earning 2023 Second-Team All-Big 12 Conference honors at return specialist and Samuel Brown earning 2023 Honorable Mention All-Big 12 honors.
• In its inaugural Big 12 season, Houston paced the league with three student-athletes ranked inside the Top 10 in receptions per game. Brown ranked fourth in receptions (62). Houston joined Oklahoma and UCF as the only Big 12 programs with multiple players inside the Top 10 in receiving touchdowns with Golden and Joseph Manjack IV finishing tied for sixth (6).
• Nine-plus receivers caught a pass in nine of Houston's 12 games in 2023 including 11 different players with a reception in back-to-back games, coming against Sam Houston (Sept. 23) and Texas Tech (Sept. 30). Prior to Sept. 23-30, the last time Houston had 11 different receivers catch a pass in consecutive games was Nov. 5, 2011 (at UAB) and Nov. 10, 2011 (at Tulane).
• In 2023, Houston's youthful wide receivers room made an immediate impact. According to Pro Football Focus, five of the league's Top 11 graded underclassmen wide receivers came from Houston (second most: Kansas State - 2) including three of the Top 7 in Joseph Manjack IV (74.7), Samuel Brown (72.9) and Matthew Golden (68.4).
• The 2022 season served as another breakout year for Houston's wideouts. Junior wide receiver Nathaniel Dell led the nation in receiving yards (1,398) and receiving touchdowns (17) while ranking fourth in receptions per game (8.4) en route to being named an All-American by a host of publications. In his two seasons with Shorts (2021-22), Dell combined to pace the country in receiving yards (2,727), receiving scores (29) and receptions (199). The 2022 First-Team All-Conference selection paced the nation with a receiving touchdown in 11 games.
• Alongside Shorts' guidance, several first-year wideouts shined in 2022 including Matthew Golden who set Houston's true freshman record with seven receiving touchdowns. Golden finished tied for first nationally among true freshmen with four receiving touchdowns of 20+ yards and second among true freshman in total receiving scores (7).
• Nine Cougars combined to catch 40 touchdowns during the 2022 season including four from first-year transfer Samuel Brown who contributed 471 receiving yards over the final seven games of the regular season including 116 at Memphis, helping lead Houston to a 19-point fourth quarter comeback.Â
• Shorts concluded his first season as wide receivers coach in 2021. In his inaugural campaign, Dell exploded for over 1,300 yards en route to being named First-Team American Athletic Conference.
• Under Shorts’ tutelage, Dell ranked in the top 15 nationally for receptions (90), receiving yards (1,329) and receiving touchdowns (12). As a team, the Cougars ranked 23rd nationally in passing offense (271.6).
• Shorts was named the Director for Player Development at Houston on Jan. 11, 2019, after one season as a program assistant at West Virginia.Â
• A receiver at West Virginia under Head Coach Dana Holgorsen, Shorts spent the 2017 season as a member of the Buffalo Bills’ practice squad.
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• During his time at WVU as a player, Shorts led the Mountaineers in receiving in three of his four years and was named a team captain in 2016. He also earned the 2016 Iron Mountaineer Award, the same season he earned All-Big 12 Second Team honors after leading the Mountaineers with 63 receptions for 894 yards and five touchdowns.
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• Shorts led WVU in receiving in 2015 with 45 receptions for 528 yards and five touchdowns and in 2013 with 45 receptions for 495 yards and two touchdowns. He added 24 receptions for 346 yards and two touchdowns in 2014.
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• He closed his career ranked fifth on the WVU career chart with 177 receptions and sixth with 2,263 receiving yards. He owns the program’s freshman receptions record with 45 in his first year with the program.
