With fall camp underway, WildcatSports.com will preview each position group in a lead up to the 2021 season opener on Sept. 2. Today, we preview the offensive skill positions.
 
Running Backs
Nowhere on the roster do the Wildcats have a bigger hole to fill than in the offensive backfield. Two-time 1,000-yard rusher and 2019 All-American Michael Roots is gone, and his absence leaves a gaping hole. But it also provides an opportunity for others to shine.
 
Redshirt freshman Tyler Flanagan and transfer Cameron McKinney are expected to get first crack at replacing Roots.
 
Flanagan gained his first game experience last April in Central's loss at Montana, rushing for 16 yards and catching a pair of passes. An All-State selection at Woodland (Wash.) High, Flanagan rushed for 1,971 yards as a senior and totaled 32 touchdowns during a prep career in which he set 17 school records.
 
McKinney is a redshirt junior who previously played at FCS North Dakota. In two seasons (2018, 2019) McKinney rushed for 302 yards and two touchdowns on 49 carries, averaging 6.0 yards per carry. A standout on special teams, McKinney averaged 23.9 yards on 17 kickoff returns during the 2019 campaign.
 
Another player to watch is former Colorado State running back Rashaad Boddie. A former 3-star recruit out of Skyline High in Sammamish, Boddie rushed for 254 yards and scored four touchdowns for the Rams in 2017. He played in two games as a sophomore in 2018. As a senior at Sammamish, Boddie rushed for 1,739 yards and scored 19 touchdowns in 14 games.
 
Also pushing for playing time will be redshirt freshmen Cameron Daniels and Jackson McCann.
 
Wide Receivers
With 14 receivers on the 2021 roster, CWU quarterbacks will have plenty of targets to choose from.
 
Leading the way on the outside are super seniors Tony Archie and JoJo Hillel. The duo combined for 79 receptions, 1,089 yards and 15 touchdowns in 2019. For their careers, Archie and Hillel have combined for more than 130 receptions, nearly 1,800 yards and 21 scores.
 
Fourth-year sophomores Kellen Gregory and Tai-John Mizutani are expected to provide support and depth. Gregory saw action in four games in 2019. Mizutani, a first-team All-GNAC selection at punt returner in 2019, is making the transition from quarterback to receiver in '21.
 
Tight Ends
Isaac Crichton and Samuel Sanchez will lead the tight end corps.
 
Sanchez caught 12 passes in 2019 for 153 yards and 5 touchdowns. Overall, he owns 34 career receptions for 457 yards and 10 scores.
 
Crichton is a transfer from Western New Mexico, who joined the Wildcats in the fall of 2020 and played in CWU's only game last season at Montana. In 2019 at Western, he caught 30 passes for 387 yards and one score.