Delaware Football 2026 Positional Preview: Wide Receivers

Welcome back for the second positional preview of the 2026 season, which has us progressing from the quarterbacks to the wide receivers. This preseason’s framework will cover the four who’s: 1) who is back 2) who is new 3) who said what during the local media availability and 4) who (or what) caught my attention. Let us know if this is a format that you appreciate or if you would like us to try something new.

*Note: All snap counts, PFF grades, and recognition are from the 2025 season

Who is Back?

#18 Sean Wilson (642 offensive snaps. 77.8 PFF Grade. All-CUSA Honorable Mention and All-Freshman Team)
- 68 receptions, 877 yards, 3 TD
#14 Donovan Lewis (247 offensive snaps, 4 special teams snaps. 68.0 PFF Grade)
- 20 receptions, 219 yards, 1 TD
- (Rushing): 2 carries, 5 yards
#1 Brandon Rehmann (47 offensive snaps, 105 special teams snaps. 53.1 PFF Grade)
- 3 receptions, 31 yards
- (Special Teams): 6 kick returns, 133 yards, 22.2 yards/return
#6 Nick Tyree (22 offensive snaps. 59.7 PFF Grade)
- 3 receptions, 16 yards
- (Rushing): 6 carries, 25 yards
#80 Matthew McKinley-Daniels (1 offensive snap, 91 special teams snaps. 60.0 PFF Grade)
#17 Emmanuel Doku (1 special teams snap)
#83 Calvin Thomas
#13 Ty Salazar
#84 Ashton Navarrete (Walk-On)
#43 Luke Brown (Walk-On)

Who is New?

#5 Da’Wain Lofton (Oklahoma State Transfer): 14 offensive snaps. 64.4 PFF Grade
- 1 reception, 10 yards
#0 Bryson Graves (Coastal Carolina Transfer): 494 offensive snaps, 56 special teams snaps. 61.3 PFF Grade
- 35 receptions, 330 yards, 2 TD
- (Rushing): 2 carries, -17 yards
- (Passing): 4-5, 144 yards, 1 TD
- (Special Teams): 20 punt returns, 117 yards, 5.9 yards/return
#10 Tae’Sean Robinson (High School)
#87 Carson Griffin (High School)
#89 Brandon DeAngelo (High School, Walk-On)
#81 Jake Blum (High School, Walk-On)

Who Said What?

Delaware Head Coach Ryan Carty
- (On the addition of Da’Wain Lofton and how he has settled into the offense): “Da’Wain was certainly somebody who was really getting settled in the offense toward the end of spring. He was a little rusty to be honest, and I think he’d tell you that too. But now I feel like he’s really hitting stride, in shape, and had a great summer. I think he’ll take some really good strides during fall camp to be the player that we all think he could be.”
Delaware Assistant Head Coach/Offensive Coordinator/Wide Receivers Coach Terence Archer
- (On teaching the system to new players like Da’Wain Lofton and Bryson Graves): “It wasn’t like when we had the spring transfer window in other years where they’d get here in the summer and have to get caught up. Both of those guys were here for spring ball and got a ton of reps. It’s not a real simple offense. We try and not make it too complicated, but there is some nuance, formations, motions… and those two guys have done a really nice job picking it up.”
- (On Sean Wilson’s offseason development): “He’s continuing to get better as a route runner and just fine-tuning his craft. He’s always been a very good route runner and I think he’s really worked hard on his ability to make plays after the catch too. His run skills after the catch is something that we’ve talked about him working on and getting to another level at. He’s done a really nice job coming back and developing as a leader in our room. He’s a guy that others in the room and on offense are looking to for some leadership now, and he’s done a really nice job stepping into that role.”
- (On who can be the next Sean Wilson poised for a breakout season): “I think we have a whole group of guys in that boat that we’re really excited about and looking forward to taking that next step. Between Emmanuel Doku, Brandon Rehmann, Matthew McKinley-Daniels, Calvin Thomas, and then the two freshmen Carson Griffin and Tae’Sean Robinson… all of those guys are really talented players and we’re really happy with what they’ve shown. They’re going to get a ton of reps this camp to see what their roles are and where they’re at going into Week 1. I feel like depth-wise we’re as good as we’ve probably been since I’ve gotten here.”
- (On how many receivers they are looking to utilize over the course of a game): “Every year’s a little bit different. In our offense, you need to have 6 guys ready to go, being 2 deep at each of the 3 receiver positions. In a perfect world, I’d like to be more at 7 guys that we feel comfortable with. Once you start getting to 8 or 9, it’s just tough to get that many people reps. If we’re getting 65-75 reps a game, it’s usually going to end up being 6 to 7 guys getting the majority of those reps. And we’re going to need all of them because the amount of times we drop back and throw the ball to try to stretch the field.”
- (On the wide receiver room’s versatility): “Coach Carty and I have been together for awhile now, and I feel like we have a good idea of what we’re looking for at the position. But if you look at the room now, we have a bunch of different types of guys. You have a guy like Nick Tyree who’s a smaller receiver but was a state champion 200-meter runner, and then a guy like Emmanuel Doku who’s 6’5″ and can go up and get it. We want to have some different skill sets in the room and then put those guys in positions to be successful.”
Delaware Wide Receiver Sean Wilson
- (On why he wanted to return to Delaware after a breakout 2025 season): “I think it was the relationship that I had with my coaches like Coach Carty and Coach Archer, and definitely with Nick (Minicucci). Knowing that I had my favorite quarterback coming back and the coaches that have been on my side and done everything for me, I have no reason to leave a place that loves me and I love them.”
- (On the additions of Lofton and Graves): “It’s great. Knowing that we had a lot of people that started last year leave, having some veterans really come in that have a good understanding of the game, know exactly what they’re doing, and they’ve picked up the playbook ridiculously well. So it really helps a lot because we all know what we’re doing out there and we’re all comfortable. It’s kind of like having your best friends on the field out there right now.”
Delaware Wide Receiver Da’Wain Lofton
- (On why Delaware was the right fit to finish his collegiate career): “I had built a relationship with Coach Archer and Coach Carty back when I first entered the portal my junior year at Virginia Tech. We had kept that relationship intact and once I entered the portal again, we just reconnected and made it happen this time.”
- (On being a wide receiver in Delaware’s offense): “I think it’s the best offense for a wide receiver right now. We throw the ball a lot and have a great quarterback back there slinging it around for us.”
Delaware Wide Receiver Bryson Graves
- (On why Delaware was the right fit to finish his collegiate career): “They gave me the opportunity to come in and work. Other schools gave me the same thing, but Delaware is just a different culture. Them telling me that they want me to come in and be a part of their program meant a lot.”
- (On what Kyre Duplessis told him about Delaware): “He just told me to come ball. The work showed in his stats and winning games, and coming here was exactly what he thought would be great for me. And I know it’s going to be great for me as well.”

Who (or What) Caught my Attention?

Sean Wilson capitalized on his only game of his true freshman season in 2024, scoring 2 touchdowns on 2 catches in the second half against Sacred Heart. It was logical to predict Wilson had a breakout season incoming in 2025. And he did just that, leading the team in receiving yards (877) with 4 of his final 6 games finishing with 80+ yards. When asking Wilson who the next receiver set for a breakout season is, he immediately answered Emmanuel Doku. “Manny is a great person and is a leader for us. His stature just has him looking for high balls and goal line balls. He’s really developing well.” Between Wilson’s and Coach Archer’s words for Doku, look out for the 6’5″ wideout this fall.
It will be a few weeks until we talk to Delaware Recruiting Coordinator and Running Backs Coach Xavier Dye, but his impact for the wide receiver room has been seen in connections from his previous stop. While in different positional rooms at Coastal Carolina, Bryson Graves stated that his relationship with Dye was a big reason for choosing Delaware over a reported offer from Oklahoma State. “When I transferred, Coach Dye and Kyre Duplessis were both a big reason I came here. Coach Dye always believed in me. When he gave me that call, I was ready to go.”
Duplessis, who had 824 receiving yards and 5 touchdowns last season and now signed on the Seattle Seahawks’ 90-man training camp roster, set the stage for another former Chanticleer to find immediate success in Newark. While their traits at the position are different (Duplessis spent 90% of his snaps out wide for Delaware while Graves spent 95% of his snaps in the slot for Coastal last season per PFF), a place where they can be detailed as similar in impact is on special teams. Graves was the lead punt returner for Coastal last season, while Duplessis on the Blue Hens returned a 68-yard punt for a touchdown at Florida International. When asked about Duplessis’ special teams score, Graves smiled and responded, “Give me 2+ then. I’m going to have to one-up him.”