Northern Arizona is looking to win their 1st Big Sky championship since 2003 and is coming off a 7th place finish last season after a 5-6 season. The Lumberjacks landed a major commitment this week from former UMass wide receiver Tray Pettway who announced his transfer to Northern Arizona on social media.
https://twitter.com/i_tray5/status/1537497374582616065
Pettway was a standout at Prattville High School, but decided to take the junior college route and commit to Hutchinson Community College out of high school. The 6-foot-2, 185-pound wide receiver totaled 8 catches for 277 receiving yards and 4 touchdowns in only eight games for Hutchinson in the 2020-21 season. He helped lead Hutchinson to a 10-2 record and a win in the Salt City Bowl over Monroe College. Pettway ranked as a Top-80 JUCO prospect and the #9 wide receiver in the country coming out of Hutchinson. He announced his commitment to UMass over South Alabama in October of 2020.
Pettway was able to see the field immediately at UMass as a sophomore as he saw action in 11 games during the 2021 season. He totaled 17 catches for 217 yards and averaged over 12 yards per catch for the season. He announced his transfer in February as a graduate transfer and will have two years of eligibility left at Northern Arizona. He also held offers from Prairie View A&M, West Florida, Valdosta State, & Rhode Island.
Northern Arizona returns a lot of talent at the wide receiver position from the 2021 season, including Freshman All-Americans Coleman Owen and Hendrix Johnson. Pettway will also join Fresno State transfer Jamal Glaspie and and Idaho transfer Keison Evans in the loaded wide receiver room for the Lumberjacks. Pettway brings an explosive deep threat ability to the NAU offense going into the 2021 season. He does an excellent job using his large frame to separate from defensive backs and can win in 1-on-1 situations. He should be able to find playing time for the Lumberjacks this season and be one of the top receivers for the NAU offense.
Northern Arizona will open the 2022 season on the road against PAC-12 contender Arizona State before traveling to take on the 2020-21 FCS National champions Sam Houston State in Week 2.
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