Having two explosive, high-quality veteran receivers like Keylon Stokes and JuanCarlos Santana gives Tulsa a chance to have an outstanding passing game.

It will be especially nice to get Stokes back after he missed most of the season in 2021 due to injury.

Going into his sixth year at TU, Stokes has an excellent chance at setting the career record for receiving yards for Tulsa. Stokes needs 794 yards to surpass Howard Twilley's record of 3,343 yards.

"I know Keylon is hungry and excited to be able to get back," said Tulsa coach Philip Montgomery. "He's a guy who can do so many different things.

"Catches the ball across the middle. He can stretch the field vertically. You can throw little short routes to him and he's got a running back type of mentality, so he's breaking tackles, he's getting through things."

Stokes' career numbers are 166 catches for 2,550 yards (15.4 yards per catch) and 11 TD's, which currently has him ranked 9th in yards and 11th in receptions. He also has 39 carries for 240 yards and a 6.2 yards per carry average, with a lot of those carries being on sweeps.

"You can put him in the backfield, you can ask him to block," Montgomery said. "He's just got so many different tools in that belt. And so to be able to use him in a lot of different ways obviously allows us to be better offensively."

Expected to be Tulsa's top receiver last year, Stokes caught 11 passes for 148 yards in only 4 games. He played the first two games, sat out the next two, and played two more before it was apparent that he just couldn't go any more.

As a precaution this spring, Stokes has practiced but in a limited fashion, wearing a red jersey in practice. He should be at full strength for the 2022 season.

Considering Stokes in his best season of 2019 had 62 catches for 1,040 yards at 86.7 yards per game, he will almost certainly set the receiving yards record if he stays healthy.

Stokes needs to average 66.2 yards per game over 12 games to break the record. In Covid-shortened 2020, Stokes averaged 71.6 yards in 9 games, finishing with 44 catches for 644 yards.

If Stokes has a monster year, he could get the career record for catches, needing 95 to surpass Twilley's mark of 261.

The brother of former TU great Keevan Lucas, the 5-10, 198-pound pounder from Manvel, Texas should be ready for perhaps his best season for the Golden Hurricane, and should surpass some of his brother's totals. Stokes needs 75 catches for 701 yards to surpass Lucas, who is third in yards with 3,250, and second in receptions with 240, as well as tied for first with Twilley in TD catches with 32.

Besides Stokes, Santana is a terrific receiver with a knack for clutch catches. He was second for TU in receiving last season with 51 catches for 689 yards (13.5 ypc) and 3 touchdowns.

"I thought J.C. had a tremendous year. With some of the injuries that we had, we had to move him around quit a bit, playing inside and outside. I thought he handled that well," Montgomery said.

Santana (6-foot, 176, Sr. Katy, Tx.) has 104 career catches for 1,466 yards and 8 scores, including the Hail Mary he caught in 2020 on the final play of regulation against Tulane that sent the game into overtime in that miraculous win.

"He's a guy who has that game-breaking ability about him," Montgomery said of Santana. "Makes big plays in big games. Caught some big throws. He's tough to cover. He can stretch you vertically as well. He can take little things and make them big.

"He's gotten so much better at being a much better route runner and getting off of coverages and finding holes and settling in them. It's about consistency with him. I think that has continued to come up throughout his career. Expecting him to have a breakout type season."

Outside of Stokes and Santana, several players are competing for playing time where TU usually uses either 3 or 4 receivers, and sometimes 5.

Tulsa has talent, but losing Josh Johnson's productivity from last season will be challenging. Johnson, who signed as a rookie free agent with the Detroit Lions, really came into his own last season with 83 catches for 1,114 yards and 6 touchdowns, averaging 85.7 yards per game.

Also having to be replaced due to graduation is Ezra Naylor, a transfer from Kansas who got markedly better as the season progressed, finishing with 33 catches for 426 yards.

The player who is most likely to be Tulsa's third starter is Isaiah Epps, a 6-foot-2, 190-pound graduate transfer from Kentucky who played for Jenks HS. Epps caught 31 passes for 365 yards and a TD in 9 career starts and 43 games for Kentucky. He had 11 catches for 171 yards last season.

"I think Isaiah possesses what you are looking for in a receiver," Montgomery said. "I think he's really good at getting off press man coverage. He's got length, he's got good speed, he has a knack for being able to find holes and get in them."

The biggest issue with Epps, as with any newcomer, is getting used to a new system and getting in sync with the quarterbacks.

"Expect some really good things from him," Montgomery said of Epps. "Obviously, we will see how that progresses as the year goes, but he has the ability to do some really good things. Now we've got to find that niche and how that works within what we do offensively."

Malachai Jones should have the inside track on being TU's fourth receiver. Jones, a 6-foot, 189-pound redshirt sophomore from Westfield HS in Spring, Texas, played in all 13 games last year, but really started to play at receiver more towards the end of the year when the opportunity came due to injuries and defections at the position.

"I thought Malachai was a guy who had to step up. Wasn't quite ready at the time but was close," Montgomery said. "But due to injuries and some other things that had happened, got kind of thrown into that role, and I think he really took advantage of the opportunities that he got within games.

"I think you could really see the difference in what he was able to do this spring by getting that playing experience last fall. We are able to move him around in some different spots. He played outside a little bit more last year because that's what we needed him to do. Moved him back inside a little bit now. I thought that was a good move for us this spring."

Jones caught 3 passes for 47 yards last season, averaging 15.7 yards per catch, with a long of 16. That may not seem like much, but breaking into the receiving rotation was a big step for Jones. He caught a 16-yarder in the overtime win at Tulane, and a 15-yarder in the Myrtle Beach bowl game against Old Dominion.

"I think he's feeling a little bit more comfortable in there, so to have the ability to go inside and outside with him," Montgomery said of Jones. "I think can be a threat for us."

Nick Rempert is a 6-2, 190-pound juco recruit from Tyler JC who should challenge for playing time. Rempert started his college career as a defensive back at Northern Illinois, and spent his last two years at Tyler. He caught 10 passes for 197 yards in 2020, but didn't play last year.

"Nick is a strong kid. Still learning the process of what we do and how we do it, but has really got here and dove into the playbook, dove into the film, continues to grow and learn and is working his tail off," Montgomery said.

"Does a nice job in and out of cuts. It's about getting to certain depths, it's about pushing the route to this point or narrowing it back down. Those little things that are so important to what we do. Those are the things he's got to continue to grow and learn with, but I think he will get there."

Rempert arrived at TU in January, and caught one pass for 15 yards in the Spring Game while playing with the first team.

"I thought this spring, whether it was in a scrimmage or in a practice, he had some opportunities in there to make some big plays. He made a few of those, it's going to be more about consistency and continuing to grow, but excited about what he brings to the table."

Kamdyn Benjamin is an example of how perseverance pays off. The 5-9, 180-pound junior from Cedar Hill HS in Texas was a walk-on who just earned a scholarship. He was Tulsa's main punt returner last season, and Montgomery has really good things to say about him.

"Kam has got a chance to jump in there and do some really good things," Montgomery said. "He's a quarterback friendly receiver. He knows how to find that dead spot, he knows how to get into routes, get back across a quarterback's face. Real consistent hands. Tough kid, a coach's kid. Kind of been around it his whole life."

Scottie Alexander is a 6-2, 198-pound redshirt freshman from Collierville, Tennessee who is an intriguing prospect. The three-star recruit led all receivers in the Spring Game, catching 4 passes for 84 yards, including a 55-yarder from Cardell Willliams.

"Scottie is continuing to develop. He's a bigger type of receiver," Montgomery said. "It's about being young and gaining the experience and getting more of that. A guy that, in the future, is going to have an impact."

Marquise Shoulders is a 5-10, 165-pound redshirt freshman from Katy, Texas who played more running back than receiver at Tompkins HS. He caught 4 passes for 44 yards in the Spring Game.

"Marquise is a guy that's just got breakaway speed," Montgomery said. "He's a guy that really separates and does some things. He is continuing to get better and learning how to play the position. For him, it's about the consistency of the route, about the consistency of his hands, because once it touches his hands, he's a guy who can do tremendous things with it.

"He's got the type of speed that you can't coach. And excited about what he's continuing to grow and bring to the table."

Keith Wheeler is a 6-1, 175-pound 2022 signee from Acascosita HS in Humble, Texas, who graduated early and already has a semester of practice and in the classroom at TU.

"Keith has got the potential to be a big-time guy when it is all said and done," Montgomery described. "You saw him, really, show some spurts early in spring ball. You see the grind of spring ball on a young guy kind of take its toll. And then he fought his way back through it."

High school signees who will arrive in the fall are Devan Williams (6-2, 180, Temple, Tx.) and Charles Hodge (6-foot, 175, Smithville, Tx).

"Devon Williams, the kid out of Temple, is a bigger receiver, outside receiver. Got good size to him, got really good hands, can jump out of the gym. A guy who has got the type of speed that is going to be able to stretch," Montgomery said.

"Charles Hodge was one of those guys who played all over the field. Played defense, played offense. Made an impact on both sides of it."

Deshari Houston is a quick 5-9, 169-pound redshirt freshman walk-on from Abilene, Texas. Houston did well in the Spring Game, scoring the only TD in the game, a 14-yarder from Cardell Williams. Houston caught three passes for 37 yards in the Spring Game.

"Deshari did a nice job this spring. Deshari still has got a ways to go," Montgomery said.

Tulsa also got a late recent juco commitment from Trinity Valley CC's 6-4, 195-pound Carl Chester, who committed after attending a Tulsa Elite Camp in early June. As a freshman at TVCC this past season, Chester had 9 receptions for 104 yards and a TD in 9 games.

Chester had committed to play for Louisiana-Monroe in 2021 but then decided to go to TVCC.

With Tulsa's returning experienced playmakers, as well as young emerging talent, the Hurricane should again be strong at receiver in 2022.