WIDE RECEIVERS OUTLOOK: The final piece of the offense: wide receivers.
Fresno State lost two of its top three receivers from 2023 in Erik Brooks and Jaelen Gill, but the room is just as talented and a young group that is led by third-year sophomore Jalen Moss now has gained experience that it lacked.
Moss played more snaps than any of the Bulldogs' wideouts last season, and senior Mac Dalena played almost double the number he had in his first three seasons. Offensive coordinator Pat McCann bolstered the room by adding depth with Division I transfers Chedon James and Raylen Sharpe and one or both could emerge as key pieces in the Bulldogs' offense as Nikko Remigio did for the Bulldogs in 2022 and Gill did last season.
The receiving corps appears to have a well-rounded skill set and the potential for a standout season with preseason All-Mountain West quarterback Mikey Keene.
Who's back: Moss started 12 games last season and was second on the team with 55 receptions and 706 yards. He had six touchdown receptions, tied with Gill for the team lead.
Moss proved himself to be an explosive receiver for the Bulldogs, averaging 12.8 yards per catch, and was ranked fourth among Mountain West wideouts with eight receptions in the red zone. He had two 100-yard receiving games last season - he had seven catches for 120 yards and one touchdown in a victory over Kent State and nine for 115 and one score at Wyoming - and became the first true or redshirt freshman at Fresno State to have multiple 100-yard games in a season since Davante Adams had six in 2012.
Dalena started all 13 games in 2023, totaling 47 receptions for 509 yards and three touchdowns. He set single-season career-highs in all three categories, and was the team's fourth-leading receiver.
Josiah Freeman is poised for a big year with the Bulldogs this season. Standing 6-foot-3, he adds height and length to the group. He had 19 receptions for 249 yards last season and averaged 13.1 yards per catch, matching Brooks for the team-high.
Jordan Brown has battled injuries throughout his time at Fresno State, but has had a promising spring and fall. Brown has played in 19 career games. He has been taking reps as a returner throughout fall camp and has the opportunity to find a larger role within the offense.
Nathan Acevedo is another player that has put in a lot of work during the offseason, and has been making big plays in the end zone throughout fall camp. Acevedo, also a third-year sophomore, looks to make his Bulldog debut this season.
Tim Grear Jr. and Antoine Sullivan are entering their second seasons with the Bulldogs, eager to earn more playing time.
Who's new: Five transfers and two freshmen join the receiving corp.
James joins the roster after spending two seasons at Idaho State where he was a first-team All-Big Sky selection. He started 11 games for the Bengals, finishing with 102 receptions and 1,045 yards. He led the FCS in receptions and was fourth in total yards. James scored eight touchdowns during the season and was a finalist for the Walter Payton Award.
James has a lot of speed and could prove to be a big piece of the Bulldogs return game.
Sharpe transferred to Fresno State from Missouri State where he was named an FCS All-America selection by Phil Steele (second team), the Associated Press (third team) and Stats Perform (third team) after setting a program record with 73 receptions with 991 receiving yards and seven touchdowns. He was also a first-team All-Missouri Valley Football Conference selection.
Sharpe averaged a league-best 99.1 receiving yards per game, which ranked No. 3 in the FCS, and his 7.3 receptions per game was also tops in the MVFC and No. 5 nationally. He had six 100-yard games on the season.
Karim McClune II attended Monterey Peninsula College and was a 2023 Region 2 all-state and all-conference selection. In his sophomore season he had 26 receptions for 565 yards and eight touchdowns. He was an explosive player for the Lobos, averaging 21.7 yards per catch.
Lyndon Ravare spent one season at the College of the Canyons before transferring to Fresno State. In his one season there he has 35 receptions for 652 yards with six touchdowns.
Jake Parnagian, a Clovis North grad, returns to the Valley after spending two seasons at Washington. He appeared in one game in 2023, against Cal. Parnagian utilized his redshirt season in 2022.
Jordan Malau'ulu, a three-star recruit, graduated early from Long Beach Poly High to join the Bulldogs for spring ball. He was a two-time All-League selection. During his senior season he had 57 receptions for 707 yards and eight touchdowns on 57 catches..
Drew Carlson, a walk-on who had a strong fall camp, graduated from the same high school as McCann in Olympia, Wash. He was a first team all-league selection, totaling 1,200 all-purpose yards as a senior and scoring 11 touchdowns.
What to watch: The Bulldogs have a deep corps of receivers and could match 2023, when five players caught 40 or more passes including Brooks, Gill, Moss and Dalena.
Fresno State was second in the Mountain West in passing, but McCann wants to stretch the field and be more explosive this season. The Bulldogs had 43 pass plays of 20 or more yards, which ranked fourth in the conference, but also was their fewest in a full (non-COVID impacted) season since 2019. The potential is there - Keene last season completed 43.2% of his passes that traveled 20 or more yards down the field, third highest in the conference.
. "We need to be more explosive in the pass game," McCann said. "We were in the top 25 passing the ball in the country but we were low in yards per completion. So that is something that I want to put an emphasis on this season."