GREENVILLE, S.C. -- Furman's wide receiving corps returns intact, sporting returning starters at both positions, as well as experienced backups.

"We feel good about our wide receivers," said head coach Clay Hendrix on Wednesday.  "We've had some good players in that group over the last few seasons but not a lot of depth.  I think we've made some strides in addressing that.  We're also a little bigger and longer, and have some more playmakers."

The clear leader of the unit is flanker Ryan DeLuca (5-11, 185, 5th), who opted to exercise his final season of eligibility.  A veteran of 43 games and 23 starts, he counts 56 receptions for 896 yards and nine touchdowns in his career, and is coming off a spring campaign that saw him register a team leading 24 catches for 441 yards (18.1 ypc).

"Ryan is our most experienced guy.  He's been productive over the course of his career, and I don't see that changing.  He's a good leader.  We're excited about what he gives us."

Dejuan Bell (5-9, 162, R-Jr.) also returns at flanker with 21 games of experience, including significant time on special teams.

"Dejuan has had a good preseason making a lot of plays."

The Paladins welcome the return of Zach Peterson (6-1, 192, Jr.) and Noah Henderson (6-1, 207, R-So.) at split end.

Peterson earned starts in five games, including the Paladins' first four contests, before an injury late in a 17-13 road triumph over East Tennessee State knocked him out the lineup for a pair of contests.  Henderson, meanwhile, stepped in for Peterson to log a couple of starts in his first season as a Paladin following a year at Charlotte.

"Zach is entering his fourth year in the program and is healthy.  He had a good season going in the spring before a knee injury sidelined him.  He will play a bunch for us, as will Noah, who is also healthy and a big, strong player.

"Those four guys — Ryan, Dejuan Zach, and Noah — bring a lot to the table."

Luke Shiflett (6-2, 201, R-So.), who has battled injuries since joining the program in 2019 following a year at Middle Tennessee State, may contribute at wide receiver if he doesn't end up making the full-time switch to quarterback.

Kelton Gunn (5-10, 184, R-Fr.) could potentially factor into the mix at flanker, as could another intriguing performer, Lex Capitano (5-9, 173, R-Fr.), who continues to gain the attention of the coaching staff.

"Kelton is one of the fastest guys in our program but is still learning the position.

"Lex is a guy who keeps showing up and making plays.  He reminds me a lot of Ryan (DeLuca) as a younger receiver but is probably a little further along than Ryan was at this point in his career. We think he's going to help us."

Expected to add to the competition at split end is highly regarded newcomer Joshua Harris (6-2, 177, Fr.).

"Josh is a guy we're really excited about.  Nothing we've seen so far has led us to believe he's anything other than what we saw when we recruited and signed him.  He has really good ball skills.  We think he's a guy who is going to play this year."

Luke Bynum (5-11, 181, Jr.) will add depth at split end, as will Bailor Hughes (5-11, 205, R-Fr.), whose stock could rise if healthy.

"Bailor is a guy with a lot of ability.  He's missed some time in the preseason, as he did in the spring, but he's shown up enough for us to see that he's a guy capable of helping us if he can stay healthy."

Sam Whitney (5-7, 176, Jr.) and Taylor Bell (5-10, 157, So.) are program veterans who will add depth, as will newcomer Max Arnold (5-10, 155, Fr.).