blank

Jovon Bouknight

Position: Wide Receivers Experience: 4th Year at USU Alma Mater: Wyoming, 2006

Recruiting Area: Central Florida (Broward County)

Jovon Bouknight (pronounced Juh-vonn Bo-night) is in his fourth season with the USU football program, going into his third as wide receivers coach after serving as the Aggies' offensive graduate assistant in 2009.

"It was a great opportunity to move up to a full-time assistant from a graduate assistant at the Division I level," Bouknight said. "I'm grateful for Coach Andersen and Coach Baldwin to have the confidence and faith in me and be able to help me develop as a football coach."

In 2010, Bouknight coached the USU wide receivers, as a total of nine different wide receivers had at least one reception, including Dontel Watkins, who ranked 15th in the Western Athletic Conference in receiving yards per game (41.0) as well as tying for 15th in receptions per game (3.5).

Watkins was the lone USU receiver with 400 yards, but three other receivers had over 200 yards receiving. A total of four different receivers snared at least one TD pass with Watkins leading the team with four scores.

In 2009, Bouknight helped coach Stanley Morrison, who led USU and ranked 12th in the WAC with 616 yards on 33 receptions (18.7 ypc) with three TD's. The 18.7 ypc average ranked Morrison second in the WAC and 11th in FBS. Morrison's 51.5 ypg ranked 14th in the WAC, while his 2.75 receptions per game was 16th in the league.

Morrison's 18.7 yards per catch average was also the most in USU history since Dionte' Holloway's 19.4 ypc average in 2005. Morrison was one of four Aggie receivers with at least 400 yards receiving while a total of six receivers had over 20 catches on the season. A total of 14 different receivers caught at least one pass with eight different receivers logging a TD catch, including three with three or more.

Under Bouknight's tutelage, both Morrison and Eric Moats had a streak of snaring at least one catch in all 12 games in 2009. Morrison returns to action in 2011 after missing the 2010 season with an injury, and totes a streak of at least one catch in 24 straight games. Moats has had at least one reception in 10 of the 12 games in 2010, including a stretch of 16-straight games dating back to 2009 season, with a total of at least one catch in 22 of 24 games played.

Bouknight came to USU after one season at his alma mater of Wyoming, where he was offensive graduate assistant, working with the Cowboys' wide receivers.

"Jovon has done a tremendous job in the years that he has been with us. He has tremendous potential and upstart as a coach. He has shown terrific ability and knowledge on and off the field, always wanting to learn and improve as a coach," Andersen said.

Bouknight concluded his college career ranked No. 20 in NCAA history in both career receiving yards (3,626) and career receptions (250). After graduating from UW in the spring of 2006, Bouknight signed a free agent contract with the Carolina Panthers and went to camp with the Panthers in the summer of 2006. He later played in NFL Europe in the summer of 2007, before signing as a free agent with the Tampa Bay Buccaneers later that summer and attended camp with Tampa in 2007.

During his senior season, he was one of only 15 semifinalists for the 2005 Biletnikoff Award, which honors the nation's top college receiver each season. He also earned honorable mention All-American honors from College Football News in 2005. He earned first-team all-Mountain West Conference honors as a senior in voting by MWC coaches and media. The College Football News also selected him to its all-MWC first-team. For the 2005 season, he ranked No. 9 in the NCAA in average receiving yards per game (101.45 yards per game), No. 15 in total receiving yards (1,116), No. 10 in all-purpose yards (160.45), No. 12 in average receptions per game (7.00 catches per game) and No. 11 in kickoff returns (27.75 yards per return). He concluded his career ranked No. 2 in Mountain West Conference history in both receptions (250) and receiving yards (3,626).

In Wyoming school history, Bouknight ranks No. 3 in career receiving yards behind former All-Americans Marcus Harris (No. 1 with 4,518 receiving yards from 1993-96) and Ryan Yarborough (No. 2 with 4,446 from 1990-93). Harris was the 1996 Biletnikoff Award winner. Bouknight ranks No. 2 in school history in career receptions, trailing only Harris with 259. Bouknight also completed his career as Wyoming's all-time all-purpose yardage leader (5,921 all-purpose yards) and career kickoff return leader (2,016 kickoff-return yards). He caught at least one pass in 47 consecutive games, which was also every game of his college career and is the UW school record. He actually caught at least two passes in each of those 47 career games.

A native of Denver, Colo., Bouknight was an outstanding quarterback at Manual High School in Denver. He received his bachelor's degree from Wyoming in 2006.