Big-play Bear
Central Arkansas senior wide receiver Lester Wells (above) has what Bears Coach Nathan Brown looks for in a playmaker. “He’s just a football player,” said Brown, whose team takes on Southeastern Louisiana tonight in Hammond, La. “He’s a kid that you don’t have to motivate to practice, you don’t have to motivate to watch film, you don’t have to motivate to just go out and play football.”
CONWAY — When a coach says one of his football players is a football player, he means far more than the obvious.
University of Central Arkansas senior wide receiver Lester Wells is among the players Bears Coach Nathan Brown labels as such.
“He’s just a football player,” Brown said. “He’s a kid that you don’t have to motivate to practice, you don’t have to motivate to watch film, you don’t have to motivate to just go out and play football. He seems to enjoy every aspect of it.
“Usually, when you have a kid with his talent who also has his attitude, you’re going to have a good football player.”
Brown said he saw it when UCA began recruiting Wells from Mississippi Gulf Coast Community College before last season. In two seasons at Mississippi Gulf Coast, Wells caught 82 passes for 1,152 yards.
Wells, 5-11, 180 pounds, played under Coach Chad Huff at Mississippi Gulf Coast. Huff is now an assistant at South Alabama.
“We knew when we were recruiting Lester that he was a guy who could help us and help us immediately,” Brown said. “Coach Huff said he was the best football player on the team, and I can see that, because, one, Lester loves the game of football, and, two, he understands it as well. When he came here, he confirmed everything we were told.”
Wells said he thought UCA offered him the best opportunity to play.
“I figured I had a pretty good chance to get on the field and catch some passes,” Wells said. “Plus, they were winning, and I wanted to win.”
Wells caught 27 passes last season, the third most for UCA behind then-seniors Brandon Cox and Roman Gordon. He was fourth in yards with 334 and fifth in touchdowns with three.
Through two games this season, the senior leads UCA with 11 catches for 169 yards and 1 touchdown. He had career highs with 9 catches for 158 yards in UCA’s 26-13 victory over Murray State last Saturday.
His next chance comes today when Southeastern Louisiana hosts UCA at Strawberry Stadium in Hammond, La. Kickoff is scheduled for 7 p.m.
“I knew I would have to step up this year,” Wells said.
Wells’ performance against Murray State earned high marks from Brown because of the stormy conditions throughout. Rain fell steadily from start to finish, a period that included a one-hour, 13-minute delay because of nearby lightning strikes.
“Lester has great hands,” Brown said. “A testament to that was the other night with his nine catches in that driving rain. That’s hard to do, and you have to have great hands to do that.”
“Rain doesn’t bother me,” Wells said. “It’s all the same.”
Last season, UCA’s receivers had the benefit of then-senior quarterback Hayden Hildebrand, who passed for 3,129 yards and 29 touchdowns, which were fourth and fifth, respectively, on UCA’s alltime single-season lists.
Sophomore Breylin Smith is in his first season this year as UCA’s starting quarterback, but Wells said nothing has changed for him beyond his quarterback’s name and jersey number.
Through two games, Smith has passed for 446 yards and 1 touchdown with a completion percentage of 73.1 percent.
“Breylin doesn’t have any problems throwing the ball,” Wells said. “When you’re open, he’ll get it to you. He’s going to give you a chance.”
Brown said he expects a season full of outstanding performances by Wells.
“Lester possesses a fearless mentality,” Brown said. “He’s a kid you don’t have to worry about getting scared if you put him over the middle. With his hands and his toughness and his attitude, he’s a kid we can count on every day.”