Tag: Lajohntay Wester

Amari McNeill, LaJohntay Wester earn weekly Big 12 awards

Two Colorado players were honored with weekly Big 12 awards

Following stellar performances in Colorado football’s Week 12 win over Utah, defensive tackle Amari McNeill and wide receiver/punt returner LaJohntay Wester each earned a weekly Big 12 award.

McNeill was named the Big 12 Co-Defensive Player of the Week alongside Arizona defensive back Genesis Smith and West Virginia linebacker Reid Carrico. A former Tennessee Volunteers transfer, McNeill finished with three total tackles, one TFL, one sack and a forced fumble in the Buffs’ eighth win.

After recording a 76-yard punt return touchdown on Saturday, Wester earned the Big 12 Special Teams Player of the Week. The Florida Atlantic transfer also snagged a season-high 10 catches for 77 yards.

Wester’s brother, Colorado linebacker Jaylen Wester, also created a big special teams play when he partially blocked a Utah punt in the first quarter.

For McNeill, his showing at Texas Tech in Week 11 was arguably even more impressive. There, he recorded season-highs in total tackles (nine), TFLs (three) and sacks (1.5).

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LaJohntay Wester’s touchdown against Texas Tech makes Colorado history

LaJohntay Wester made some Colorado football history

On Saturday, Colorado football wide receiver LaJohntay Wester found the end zone for the eighth time this season midway through the second quarter against the Texas Tech Red Raiders.

With the 23-yard score, he joined Travis Hunter to become the only pair of Colorado players with eight or more touchdowns in a single season. Wester got a block from Hunter and tiptoed down the sideline on a bubble screen to cut into the Red Raiders’ 13-0 lead.

A transfer from Florida Atlantic, Wester is up to 41 catches for 534 yards through the first half against TTU. His speed and route running have been a massive addition to the Buffaloes’ offense this season, developing a lethal connection with quarterback Shedeur Sanders.

Heading into the second half, CU trails Texas Tech 13-10 and is fighting for its Big 12 championship game hopes. With just two catches on three targets, look for the speedster in Wester to become more involved in the second haf.

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Deion Sanders rewards LaJohntay Wester with coveted No. 1 jersey: ‘He earned it’

Coach Prime rewarded LaJohntay Wester with a new uniform number

Wide receiver LaJohntay Wester has been a huge reason for Colorado football’s success so far this season, and head coach Deion Sanders showed his appreciation following Saturday’s 34-23 win over Cincinnati.

The senior was rewarded with a new No. 1 jersey in his locker following a five-catch, 56-yard showing against the Bearcats. Wester previously wore the No. 10.

“He wanted the No. 1 when he came here,” Sanders said. “No. 1 ain’t something you acquire, it’s given to you… He earned it.”

Wester’s impact runs much deeper than his night against Cincy. He places second on the team behind Heisman hopeful Travis Hunter in catches (39), receiving yards (501) and touchdowns (seven) this season and has been a staple of Colorado’s air attack.

“One is the loneliest number” as the song goes, but Coach Prime has embraced the Florida Atlantic transfer by bestowing him with an honor that symbolizes comradery and togetherness for a 6-2 Buffs squad rolling through Big 12 play.

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LaJohntay Wester confident in Colorado’s depth at wide receiver

With Omarion Miller and Terrell Timmons Jr. out, Colorado’s depth at wide receiver will be tested

Colorado should have its primary four wide receivers healthy against Arizona this weekend, but recent injuries to Omarion Miller and Terrell Timmons Jr. mean the Buffs’ pass-catching depth will be tested moving forward.

Fortunately for Colorado, it entered this season with arguably the most talented and deepest WR room in college football. Miller, for example, could be the top receiver at several other Power Four schools.

Earlier this week, senior wideout LaJohntay Wester was asked about the depth Colorado flaunts at his position group.

“It’s next-man-up mentality,” said Wester, the owner of 318 receiving yards and seven touchdowns. “I feel like in our receiver room, we got depth in there of guys who can come in and play and perform just as Travis (Hunter), as Jimmy (Horn Jr.) and all those other guys, too.”

Wide receivers who could see more playing time include freshmen Drelon Miller and Jordan Onovughe. On his “2Legendary” podcast, quarterback Shedeur Sanders mentioned Onovughe, in particular, as someone who could be next off the bench.

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LaJohntay Wester scores first touchdown in Colorado uniform

LaJohntay Wester recorded his first touchdown in a Buffs uniform

In an overall disappointing Week 2 performance against the Nebraska Cornhuskers, wide receiver LaJohntay Wester’s first touchdown in a Colorado football uniform was one of the few bright spots.

With the Buffs down 28-3 midway through the fourth quarter, the Florida Atlantic transfer hauled in a five-yard touchdown pass from quarterback Shedeur Sanders. Wester’s score marked Colorado’s lone TD on Saturday evening at Memorial Stadium.

At Florida Atlantic, Wester had 21 touchdowns over four seasons with the Owls. His best season came last year when he tallied 1,168 receiving yards and eight scores.

Wester finished the 28-10 loss with four catches for 20 yards.

Check out the clip of Wester’s first touchdown with the Buffs:

https://twitter.com/CUBuffsFootball/status/1832610903008653395

Wester and the Buffs will look to get back on track in Week 3 against Colorado State.

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Colorado newcomer named preseason All-American by Phil Steele

A Colorado newcomer made one of Phil Steele’s preseason All-American teams

Longtime analyst Phil Steele released his 2024 college football preview magazine last week and Colorado Buffaloes newcomer LaJohntay Wester made one of his preseason All-American teams.

Wester, an incoming transfer wide receiver who spent the past four years at Florida Atlantic, was named second-team special teams as a punt returner. With the Owls last season, he brought back 14 punts for 278 yards (fifth nationally) and one touchdown.

The 5-foot-11, 167-pound Flordia native also produced his first 1,000-yard season in 2023, leading FAU with 1,168 receiving yards and eight touchdowns. Wester, whose brother Jaylen also transferred from FAU to Colorado this offseason, had six 100-plus-yard receiving games last fall, including a 219-yard, three-touchdown performance against the University of Alabama-Birmingham.

Returning Colorado two-way player Travis Hunter made two of Steele’s preseason All-American teams: first-team all-defensive (cornerback) and first-team special teams (all-purpose).

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Travis Hunter, LaJohntay Wester among highest-graded returning Big 12 wide receivers

Travis Hunter and LaJohntay Wester should be a deadly duo next season

By all measures, the Colorado Buffaloes do not lack talent in their wide receiver room. Two-way phenom Travis Hunter, Jimmy Horn Jr. and Omarion Miller are all back, and the Buffs have also added some intriguing transfers, led by former Florida Atlantic star LaJohntay Wester.

According to Pro Football Focus College, Wester enters his first season at Colorado as the fourth-highest-graded returning WR in the Big 12. His 2023 season grade of 82.1 ranks behind only Jayden Higgins (Iowa State, 85), Tetaioria McMillan (Arizona, 87.4) and Eli Green (Iowa State, 91).

Close behind Wester is Hunter, who ranks eighth among returning Big 12 wide receivers with a grade of 77.6. Hunter hauled in 721 receiving yards and five touchdowns last season while also playing cornerback full-time.

Iowa State and Kansas each had three players make PFF College’s list of the highest-graded returning Big 12 wide receivers:

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FAU transfer LB Jaylen Wester follows brother LaJohntay to Colorado

Jaylen Wester, the younger brother of recent Colorado commit LaJohntay Wester, is coming to Boulder

Late Saturday evening, Florida Atlantic transfer linebacker Jaylen Wester announced he’d follow his older brother LaJohntay, another former FAU star, to Colorado.

The younger Wester racked up some strong numbers in his first two collegiate seasons. As a freshman in 2022, Wester totaled 60 tackles, one sack and an interception. The 6-foot, 205-pound linebacker followed that up with 56 total tackles, one sack and a forced fumble this past season.

Colorado’s linebacker room needed some attention once DJ Lundy returned to Florida State and while Wester’s commitment helps, I wouldn’t be surprised if head coach Deion Sanders adds another transfer LB.

The Buffaloes now have three sets of brothers on their roster: Shedeur and Shilo Sanders, Kentucky transfers Destin and Keaten Wade, and the Westers. According to BuffsBeat, this is the first time in modern Football Bowl Subdivision history that a team has had three sets of siblings.

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WATCH: New Colorado WR LaJohntay Wester’s highlights from FAU

New Colorado WR LaJohntay Wester is a human highlight reel

The Colorado football team landed yet another key player via the transfer portal. This time, it’s LaJohntay Wester, a wide receiver/special teams weapon from Florida Atlantic who gave his commitment to the Buffs on Tuesday.

Wester put up video game-like numbers last season for the Owls, catching 108 passes for 1,168 yards and eight touchdowns.

Now, he joins a loaded Buffs wide receiver room that will be featured alongside a revamped offensive line. With Shedeur Sanders leading the way at quarterback once again, there are plenty of reasons to be excited about Colorado’s offense in 2024.

Check out some of Wester’s top highlights from his time at FAU:

Penn State’s top transfer portal WR target commits to Colorado

Penn State missed out on another wide receiver transfer in the portal.

Wide receiver is the most important thing that Penn State needs to address this offseason when looking for upgrades in the transfer portal.

With all the heat the offense and quarterback [autotag]Drew Allar[/autotag] received this past year, much of it was due to their below-average receiver room that had difficulty separating and holding onto the ball.

Getting [autotag]Julian Fleming[/autotag] is a good start, but with so many questions about the players currently in that room, adding more players would certainly be welcome.

The Nittany Lions were prioritizing [autotag]LaJohntay Wester[/autotag] who entered the portal after spending four years with Florida Atlantic.

Wester is a 5’11” 167 pounder who was really productive at the Group of 5 level, catching 252 balls for 2,703 yards and 21 receiving touchdowns in his career there.

This past season, he had his career best production with 108 catches, 1,168 yards and eight receiving touchdowns.

Penn State was heavily recruiting the upperclassman in the transfer portal before he committed to Colorado as announced on his social media page.

Colorado’s current quarterback, Shedeur Sanders, publicly campaigned for Wester to come to Boulder for the upcoming season and it looks like those efforts worked.

Penn State will now have to turn their attention to others who are available in the portal after missing out on two of their top wide receiver targets with Georgia landing Miami transfer, Colbie Young, back in December 2023.

Fleming is a nice addition, but based on how the unit look last year, the Nittany Lions will need to continue searching for others who could potentially impact the team immediately.

Wide receiver continues to be the topic of conversation for Penn State after missing out on one of their top targets.