Greatest Wide Receiver From Every Power Five School
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The idea of building an offense around wide receivers is something that's relatively new in the history of college football, where running backs have become a secondary mode of attack similar to the NFL. That doesn't mean there haven't been great wide receivers in college football for the last 60 years.
While great wide receivers were almost non-existent for college football's first 80 years and in short supply for the next 30 years, we're living in the era where the very best teams thrive by using wide-open offenses. That kind of success deserves a look back at the history of college football's greatest to ever play wide receiver for all 69 Power Five Conference football programs.
Atlantic Coast Conference (ACC) and Notre Dame
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Current schools: Boston College, Clemson, Duke, Florida State, Georgia Tech, Louisville, Miami, North Carolina, North Carolina State, Notre Dame, Pittsburgh, Syracuse, Virginia, Virginia Tech
Future schools: Cal, Stanford, SMU
National championships: 15 (Miami 5, Florida State 3, Clemson 3, Pittsburgh 2, Georgia Tech 1, Syracuse 1)
(Note: Notre Dame is not a member of the ACC in football but is considered a Power Five football program.)
Boston College: Zay Flowers
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Born: September 11, 2000 (Fort Lauderdale, Florida)
High School: NSU University School (Davie, Florida)
Height/weight: 5-foot-9, 182 pounds
Career highlights: AP All-American (2022), three-time All-ACC (2020-22)
Bottom line: Zay Flowers is one of only two wide receivers in Boston College history to earn All-ACC honors — and he did it three times. Flowers had over 750 receiving yards each of his last three college seasons and capped things off with 1,077 receiving yards as a senior in 2022. The Baltimore Ravens selected Flowers at No. 22 overall in the 2023 NFL Draft.
Clemson: Sammy Watkins
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Born: June 14, 1993 (Fort Myers, Florida)
High School: South Fort Myers High School (Fort Myers, Florida)
Height/weight: 6-foot-1, 211 pounds
Career highlights: Two-time AP All-American (2011, 2013), two-time All-AC (2011, 2013), ACC Offensive Rookie of the Year (2011), Super Bowl champion (2020)
Bottom line: Sammy Watkins led the nation in all-purpose yards and receiving touchdowns as a true freshman in 2011, becoming just the fourth freshman in college football history to earn first-team AP All-American honors. Watkins wasn't done there, earning All-American honors again in 2013. In three seasons at Clemson, he had 3,391 receiving yards and 27 touchdowns. Watkins was the No. 4 overall pick in the 2014 NFL Draft by the Buffalo Bills and ended up playing eight seasons for six different teams.
Duke: Clarkston Hines
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Born: March 21, 1967 (Chapel Hill, North Carolina)
High School: Bolles School (Jacksonville, Florida)
Height/weight: 6-foot-1, 170 pounds
Career highlights: Two-time AP All-American (1988, 1989), three-time All-ACC (1987-89), ACC Player of the Year (1989), ACC Male Athlete of the Year (1989), ACC 50th Anniversary Team
Bottom line: Duke's Clarkston Hines is the only player in ACC history to lead the league in receiving yards three years in a row and left school with the ACC record for career receiving touchdowns with 38. Hines was a two-time All-American and ACC Player of the Year in 1989. Hines was on the practice squad for the Buffalo Bills in 1990 and played one year in the World League of American Football.
Florida State: Peter Warrick
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Born: June 19, 1977 (Bradenton, Florida)
High School: Southeast High School (Bradenton, Florida)
Height/weight: 5-foot-11, 195 pounds
Career highlights: BCS National Champion (1999), two-time AP All-American (1998, 1999), three-time All-ACC (1997-99), Sugar Bowl MVP (2000)
Bottom line: One of the most exciting players in college football history, Florida State's Peter Warrick capped his career as the ACC's career-leading receiver and leading Florida State to the BCS national championship, where he earned Sugar Bowl MVP honors in a win over Virginia Tech.
Warrick, a two-time All-American, was selected No. 4 overall by the Cincinnati Bengals in 2000 but played just six seasons in the NFL.
Georgia Tech: Calvin Johnson
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Born: September 25, 1985 (Newnan, Georgia)
High School: Sandy Creek High School (Tyrone, Georgia)
Height/weight: 6-foot-5, 237 pounds
Career highlights: Biletnikoff Award (2006), two-time AP All-American (2005, 2006), three-time All-ACC (2004-06), ACC Player of the Year (2006), ACC Rookie of the Year (2004), four-time NFL All-Pro (2010-13), six-time Pro Bowl (2010-15), PFWA All-Rookie Team (2007), NFL 2010s All-Decade Team
Bottom line: There probably hasn't been a wide receiver in the history of football like Calvin Johnson — a terrifying combination of size and speed and athleticism at 6-foot-5, 237 pounds with a 4.35-second 40-yard dash and 43.5-inch vertical leap.
College defensive backs could do little to stop Johnson at Georgia Tech, and he capped his career with 76 receptions for 1,202 yards and 15 touchdowns as a junior, winning the Biletnikoff Award before leaving school early for the NFL.
Johnson was selected No. 2 overall in 2007 by the Detroit Lions and retired in his prime in 2015 after making the NFL All-Pro Team four times and six Pro Bowls.
Louisville: Deion Branch
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Born: July 18, 1979 (Albany, Georgia)
High School: Monroe High School (Albany, Georgia)
Height/weight: 5-foot-9, 195 pounds
Career highlights: Two-time All-Conference USA (2000, 2001), NJCAA All-American (1998), two-time Super Bowl champion (2003, 2004), Super Bowl MVP (2004)
Bottom line: Deion Branch played two seasons at Jones County (Mississippi) Community College and was an NJCAA All-American before transferring to Louisville.
Branch was lights out in two seasons playing for Louisville, where he helped lead his team to back-to-back Conference USA championships and had back-to-back seasons of at least 70 receptions and over 1,000 receiving yards.
Branch played 11 seasons in the NFL and helped lead the New England Patriots to back-to-back Super Bowl wins in 2003 and 200. He was named MVP of Super Bowl XXXIX with 11 receptions for 133 yards in a win over the Philadelphia Eagles.
Miami: Michael Irvin
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Born: March 5, 1996 (Fort Lauderdale, Florida)
High School: St. Thomas Aquinas High School (Fort Lauderdale, Florida)
Height/weight: 6-foot-2, 207 pounds
Career highlights: Two-time AP All-American (1986, 1987), National Champion (1987), three-time Super Bowl champion (1992, 1993, 1995), three-time NFL All-Pro (1991-93), five-time Pro Bowl (1991-95), NFL 1990s All-Decade Team
Bottom line: Michael Irvin helped lead Miami to a national championship in 1987 and left school early after three seasons and setting career records for receptions (142), receiving yards (2,423) and touchdown receptions (26). Irvin also had one of the most famous plays in school history — a 73-yard touchdown reception in the fourth quarter against hated rival Florida State in 1987.
Irvin played 12 seasons in the NFL for the Dallas Cowboys, winning three Super Bowls and making five Pro Bowls. He was inducted into the Pro Football Hall of Fame in 2007.
North Carolina: Hakeem Nicks
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Born: January 14, 1988 (Charlotte, North Carolina)
High School: Independence High School (Charlotte, North Carolina)
Height/weight: 6-foot-1, 208 pounds
Career highlights: Two-time All-ACC (2007, 2008), Super Bowl champion (2011)
Bottom line: Hakeem Nicks was a high school star in Charlotte and didn't go very far to play college football at North Carolina, where he started for three years and left with school records for receptions (181), receiving yards (2,580) and receiving touchdowns (21). Hicks capped his career with eight receptions for 231 yards and three touchdowns against West Virginia in the Meineke Car Care Bowl.
Nicks played seven seasons in the NFL and won a Super Bowl with the New York Giants, where he was a first-round pick in 2009.
North Carolina State: Torry Holt
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Born: June 5, 1976 (Gibsonville, North Carolina)
High School: Eastern Guilford High School (Gibsonville, North Carolina)
Height/weight: 6-foot-1, 208 pounds
Career highlights: AP All-American (1998), ACC Player of the Year (1998), ACC Offensive Player of the Year (1998), Super Bowl champion (2000), two-time NFL All-Pro (2003, 2006), seven-time Pro Bowl (2000, 2001, 2003-07), PFWA All-Rookie Team (1999), NFL 2000s All-Decade Team
Bottom line: Torry Holt capped his career at North Carolina State with back-to-back seasons with over 1,000 receiving yards, setting ACC records with 88 receptions for 1,605 yards and 16 touchdowns as a senior in 1998. Holt was actually the first and second player in Wolfpack history to have over 1,000 receiving yards in a single season. He played 11 seasons in the NFL and won a Super Bowl with the St. Louis Rams in 2000, where he was one of the stars in "The Greatest Show on Turf," alongside Isaac Bruce, Marshall Faulk and Kurt Warner.
North Carolina State retired Holt's No. 81 in 1999 and he was elected to the College Football Hall of Fame in 2019.
Pittsburgh: Larry Fitzgerald
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Born: August 31, 1983 (Minneapolis, Minnesota)
High School: Academy of Holy Angels (Richfield, Minnesota)
Height/weight: 6-foot-3, 218 pounds
Career highlights: Three-time NFL All-Pro (2008, 2009, 2011), 11-time Pro Bowl (2004, 2007-13, 2015-17), NFL 2010s All-Decade Team, NFL 100th Anniversary Team, AP All-American (2003), Biletnikoff Award (2003), Walter Camp Award (2003), Big East Offensive Player of the Year (2003), All-Big East (2003)
Bottom line: There are only a few players on this list who you can really say turned catching the football into an art form — Larry Fitzgerald is one of them.
Fitzgerald spent one season at a military academy after high school to qualify academically to play at Pittsburgh, where he played two seasons before leaving school early for the NFL Draft. In two seasons and 26 games, Fitzgerald caught 161 passes for 2,677 yards and 34 touchdowns and won the Biletnikoff Award in 2003.
Fitzgerald was the No. 3 overall pick in the 2003 NFL Draft, played 17 seasons for the Arizona Cardinals and owns or shares 14 NFL records. He's a lock to be a first-ballot Hall of Famer when he's eligible following the 2025 season.
Syracuse: Marvin Harrison
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Born: August 25, 1972 (Philadelphia, Pennsylvania)
High School: Roman Catholic High School (Philadelphia, Pennsylvania)
Height/weight: 5-foot-11 185 pounds
Career highlights: All-Big East (1995), Super Bowl champion (2006), eight-time NFL All-Pro (1999-2006), eight-time Pro Bowl (1999-2006), NFL 2000s All-Decade Team, NFL 100th Anniversary Team
Bottom line: Marvin Harrison had approximately 1,500 receiving yards combined as a sophomore and junior in 1993 and 1994, but in Donovan McNabb's first year as the starting quarterback in 1995 Harrison had 56 receptions for 1,131 receiving yards and was named All-Big East.
Harrison was selected No. 19 overall by the Indianapolis Colts in 1996 and was joined by quarterback Peyton Manning in 1998 — the two combined to become one of the greatest combos of all time. Harrison was inducted into the Pro Football Hall of Fame in 2016.
Virginia: Herman Moore
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Born: October 20, 1969 (Danville, Virginia)
High School: George Washington High School (Danville, Virginia)
Height/weight: 6-foot-4, 218 pounds
Career highlights: AP All-American (1990), four-time NFL All-Pro (1994-97), four-time Pro Bowl (1994-97), Detroit Lions All-Time Team
Bottom line: Herman Moore was a problem for ACC defensive backs when he was at Virginia, where he left school with records for career receiving yards (2,504) and set the ACC single-season record with 1,190 yards in 1990.
Moore was dominant in the NFL as well, making four consecutive NFL All-Pro teams for the Detroit Lions from 1994 to 1997 and finished his career with 670 receptions for 9,174 yards and 62 touchdowns over 12 seasons.
Virginia Tech: Isaiah Ford
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Born: February 9, 1996 (Jacksonville, Florida)
High School: Jacksonville Trinity Christian (Jacksonville, Florida)
Height/weight: 6-foot-2, 201 pounds
Career highlights: Two-time All-ACC (2015, 2016)
Bottom line: Virginia Tech's top two statistical wide receivers spent their career playing side-by-side — Cam Phillips and Isaiah Ford were teammates from 2014 to 2016 and are 1-2 in career receiving yards. Ford gets the nod here because he did his damage in just three seasons and his 2,967 career receiving yards and 210 career catches are only 60 yards and 26 receptions behind Phillips, who played all four years.
Ford left college with one year of eligibility remaining and was drafted by the Miami Dolphins in the seventh round in 2017 — he was headed into his seventh season with his fourth different team in 2023.
Wake Forest: Ricky Proehl
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Born: March 7, 1968 (Bronx, New York)
High School: Hillsborough High School (Hillsborough, New York)
Height/weight: 6-foot, 190 pounds
Career highlights: Two-time Super Bowl champion (1999, 2006), PFWA All-Rookie Team (1990)
Bottom line: Over 30 years after he left school, Ricky Proehl still holds Wake Forest career records for receiving yards (2,949) and receiving touchdowns (25). Proehl went on to play 18 seasons in the NFL, winning Super Bowls with the St. Louis Rams and Indianapolis Colts.
Notre Dame: Tim Brown
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Born: July 22, 1966 (Dallas, Texas)
High School: Woodrow Wilson High School (Dallas, Texas)
Height/weight: 6-foot, 195 pounds
Career highlights: Heisman Trophy (1987), Walter Camp Award (1987), AP All-American (1987), two-time NFL All-Pro (1996, 1997), nine-time Pro Bowl (1988, 1991, 1993-97, 1999, 2001), PFWA All-Rookie Team (1988), NFL 1990s All-Decade Team
Bottom line: Notre Dame's Tim Brown was the first wide receiver to win the Heisman Trophy and finished his college career with 137 receptions for 2,493 yards and 22 touchdowns while setting a school record with 5,024 all-purpose yards.
Brown played 18 seasons in the NFL and was a nine-time Pro Bowler, setting the NFL record for a wide receiver with 176 consecutive starts.
Big Ten Conference
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Current schools: Indiana, Maryland, Michigan, Michigan State, Ohio State, Penn State, Rutgers, Illinois, Iowa, Minnesota, Nebraska, Northwestern, Purdue, Wisconsin
Future schools: USC, UCLA, Oregon, Washington
National championships: 22 (Ohio State 6, Nebraska 5, Minnesota 4, Michigan 2, Michigan State 2, Penn State 2, Maryland 1)
Illinois: David Williams
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Born: June 19, 1983 (Los Angeles, California)
High School: Junipero Serra High School (Gardena, California)
Height/weight: 6-foot-3, 190 pounds
Career highlights: Two-time AP All-American (1984, 1985), three-time All-Big Ten (1983-85), four-time CFL All-Star (1988, 1989, 1991, 1993), CFL Outstanding Player Award (1988)
Bottom line: Had the Biletnikoff Award existed in the early 1980s, Illinois star David Williams would have won it at least once.
Williams played three seasons at Illinois and had 870 yards receiving in 1983 followed by back-to-back 1,000-plus yard seasons in 1984 and 1985 when he was named All-American both years. Williams struggled over two NFL seasons right out of college then was dominant in seven seasons playing in the CFL, where he was named CFL Most Outstanding Player in 1988 and won a Grey Cup in 1991.
Williams is a member of both the Canadian Football Hall of Fame and the College Football Hall of Fame.
Indiana: James Hardy
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Born: December 24, 1985 (Fort Wayne, Indiana)
Died: June 7, 2017, 31 years old (Fort Wayne, Indiana)
High School: Elmhurst High School (Fort Wayne, Indiana)
Height/weight: 6-foot-5, 220 pounds
Career highlights: Three-time All-Big Ten (2005-07), Freshman All-American (2005)
Bottom line: James Hardy was a three-time All-Big Ten selection on the gridiron, where he left school with one year of eligibility remaining as Indiana's career leader in receiving yards (2,690), receptions (186) and receiving touchdowns (36), meaning almost a quarter of the time he touched the ball it was going to the house. Hardy, who also played basketball for Indiana, played in the NFL for three seasons.
Hardy was sent to a mental institution in 2014 and died in 2017 at 31 years old. His body was found lodged in a dam in a river outside of his hometown. An investigation determined he committed suicide — something his family still questions.
Iowa: Tim Dwight
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Born: July 13, 1975 (Iowa City, Iowa)
High School: Iowa City High School (Iowa City, Iowa)
Height/weight: 5-foot-8, 180 pounds
Career highlights: Two-time AP All-American (1996, 1997), PFWA All-Rookie Team (1998)
Bottom line: You know you're good when they name awards after you. In 2015, the Big Ten created an annual award for special teams, the Rodgers-Dwight Return Specialist of the Year for former Iowa star wide receiver/return specialist Tim Dwight and former Nebraska star Johnny Rodgers.
Dwight was a blur during his college career, setting Big Ten records for punt return yardage (1,102) and punt return touchdowns (five). He also held Iowa records for career receiving yards (2,271) and receiving touchdowns (21) until 2010 and 2011.
Dwight, who also won a Big Ten championship in the 100-meter dash, played 10 years in the NFL and returned a kickoff 94 yards for a touchdown for the Atlanta Falcons in Super Bowl XXXIII.
Maryland: Stefon Diggs
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Born: November 29, 1993 (Alexandria, Virginia)
High School: Our Lady of Good Counsel High School (Olney, Maryland)
Height/weight: 6-foot, 191 pounds
Career highlights: All-Big Ten (2014), two-time NFL All-Pro (2020, 2022), three-time Pro Bowl (2020-22), PFWA All-Rookie Team (2015)
Bottom line: Former Maryland Gatorade High School Player of the Year Stefon Diggs was one of the top recruits in the nation when he chose Maryland over his pick of any of the elite Power Five schools to stay close to home and his family.
Diggs was phenomenal in three seasons at Maryland before leaving school early to enter the NFL Draft, racking up 3,919 all-purpose yards and 17 touchdowns, including 2,227 receiving yards.
Diggs has been one of the NFL's best receivers for the last decade, including two NFL All-Pro selections and three Pro Bowls.
Michigan: Anthony Carter
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Born: September 17, 1960 (Riviera Beach, Florida)
High School: Suncoast High School (Riviera Beach, Florida)
Height/weight: 5-foot-11, 168 pounds
Career highlights: Three-time AP All-American (1980-82), Big Ten Most Valuable Player (1982), three-time All-Big Ten (1980-82), two-time All-USFL (1983, 1985), USFL champion (1983), three-time Pro Bowl (1987-89)
Bottom line: Anthony Carter's career defied his era. Playing for run-heavy Michigan, Carter had just 17 receptions as a freshman in 1979 and scored seven touchdowns.
Checking in at just 5-foot-11 and 160 pounds, Carter used his blazing speed to become a three-time All-American and finished his career with 5,789 all-purpose yards — 3,076 receiving yards, 907 punt return yards and 1,606 kick return yards.
Carter went to the USFL instead of the NFL after college, then played 11 seasons in the NFL and was selected to the Pro Bowl three times.
Michigan State: Charles Rogers
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Born: May 23, 1981 (Saginaw, Michigan)
Died: November 11, 2019, 38 years old (Fort Myers, Florida)
High School: Saginaw High School (Saginaw, Michigan)
Height/weight: 6-foot-3, 202 pounds
Career highlights: AP All-American (2002), Biletnikoff Award (2002), two-time All-Big Ten (2001, 2002)
Bottom line: Michigan State's Charles Rogers wasn't just the greatest Michigan State wide receiver of all time, but he was also one of the greatest in college football history. Rogers redshirted his first year in college, then spent two seasons annihilating big-time college competition with 135 receptions for 2,821 receiving yards and 28 touchdowns before the Detroit Lions selected him No. 2 overall in the 2003 NFL Draft.
Rogers only played 15 games over three seasons in the NFL because of injuries and off-field issues. He died in 2019 after battling cancer and a failing liver for several years. He was 38 years old.
Minnesota: Tyler Johnson
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Born: August 25, 1998 (Minneapolis, Minnesota)
High School: North Community High School (Minneapolis, Minnesota)
Height/weight: 6-foot-1, 206 pounds
Career highlights: Two-time All-Big Ten (2018, 2019), Super Bowl champion (2020)
Bottom line: Minneapolis native Tyler Johnson stayed home for college and set Minnesota records for receiving yards (3,305) and receiving touchdowns (33). Johnson had over 1,000 receiving yards in each of his last two seasons, including 1,1318 receiving yards and 13 touchdowns as a senior in 2019. Johnson won a Super Bowl with the Tampa Bay Buccaneers as a rookie in 2020.
Nebraska: Irving Fryar
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Born: September 28, 1962 (Mount Holly Township, New Jersey)
High School: Rancocas Valley Regional (Mount Holly, New Jersey)
Height/weight: 6-foot, 198 pounds
Career highlights: AP All-American (1983), Japan Bowl MVP (1984), two-time NFL All-Pro (1985, 1994), five-time Pro Bowl (1984, 1993, 1994, 1996, 1997), New England Patriots 50th Anniversary Team
Bottom line: Nebraska isn't known for its history of great wide receivers, but had one of the very best to ever do it with Irving Fryar, who had over 1,000 yards of total offense in 1983 and was the No. 1 overall pick in the 1984 NFL Draft by the New England Patriots. Technically, Nebraska listed him as a wingback but he was a wide receiver.
Fryar was truly an athletic freak — he played 17 seasons in the NFL and seemed to get better with age, making four of five Pro Bowl appearances past the age of 30.
Northwestern: D'Wayne Bates
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Born: December 4, 1975 (Aiken, South Carolina)
High School: Silver Bluff High School (Aiken, South Carolina)
Height/weight: 6-foot-2, 212 pounds
Career highlights: Three-time All-Big Ten (1995, 1996, 1998)
Bottom line: Northwestern head coach Gary Barnett was the last to offer South Carolina high school star D'Wayne Bates a scholarship but managed to lure him away from the SEC and ACC and land the greatest wide receiver in school history.
Bates was originally a quarterback who switched positions due to injuries, becoming a star as a freshman on Northwestern's Big Ten championship team in 1995. Bates finished his career with two seasons of over 1,000 receiving yards and missed all of his junior season except for a few plays with a broken leg.
Bates still holds Northwestern records for career receiving yards (3,370), career receptions (210), and career receiving touchdowns (26).
Ohio State: Marvin Harrison Jr.
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Born: Aug. 11, 2002 (Philadelphia, Pennsylvania)
High School: St. Joseph's Prep (Philadelphia, Pennsylvania)
Height/weight: 6-foot-4, 205 pounds
Career highlights: Biletnikoff Award (2023), two-time AP All-American (2022, 2023), Big Ten Offensive Player of the Year (2023), two-time Big Ten Wide Receiver of the Year (2022, 2023), two-time All-Big Ten (2022, 2023)
Bottom line: One of the few modern players to make this list, Ohio State's Marvin Harrison Jr. earned his place among college football greats in just three seasons with the Buckeyes.
Harrison, the son of Hall of Fame wide receiver Marvin Harrison, was a two-time All-American for Ohio State and won the Biletnikoff Award as a junior in 2023. He posted back-to-back seasons of over 1,200 receiving yards in 2022 and 2023 as well as posting 14 touchdown receptions each year.
Penn State: Bobby Engram
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Born: January 7, 1973 (Camden, South Carolina)
High School: Camden High School (Camden, South Carolina)
Height/weight: 5-foot-10, 192 pounds
Career highlights: Biletinikoff Award (1994), three-time AP All-American (1993-95), three-time All-Big Ten (1993-95), Seattle Seahawks 35th Anniversary Team
Bottom line: The first winner of the Biletnikoff Award as the nation's top collegiate wide receiver was Penn State's Bobby Engram in 1994 after he helped lead the Nittany Lions to an undefeated season with 1,029 receiving yards and seven touchdowns in just 11 games. Engram is still Penn State's leader in career receiving yards (3,026) and receiving touchdowns (31). His 786 career punt return yards are still second in school history.
Purdue: Taylor Stubblefield
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Born: January 21, 1982 (Yakima, Washington)
High School: A.C. Davis High School (Yakima, Washington)
Height/weight: 5-foot-11, 174 pounds
Career highlights: AP All-American (2004), two-time All-Big Ten (2003, 2004), All-Freshman Big Ten (2001)
Bottom line: Taylor Stubblefield led the Big Ten in receptions twice and as a senior in 2004 became the first Purdue wide receiver to earn All-American honors since 1952. Stubblefield still holds the Big Ten record for career receptions 325 and held the NCAA record for career receptions from 2004 until Oklahoma's Ryan Broyles broke the record in 2011. Stubblefield has been a college assistant since 2007 and is currently the wide receivers coach at the Air Force Academy.
Rutgers: Kenny Britt
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Born: September 19, 1988 (Bayonne, New Jersey)
High School: Bayonne High School (Bayonne, New Jersey)
Height/weight: 6-foot-3, 213 pounds
Career highlights: AP All-American (2008), two-time All-Big East (2007, 2008)
Bottom line: It's crazy to think of now but in the late 2000s, Rutgers (yes, Rutgers!) football was must-see viewing with a trio of offensive stars in running back Ray Rice, quarterback Mike Teel and wide receiver Kenny Britt — all three remain the career leaders in passing yards, rushing yards and receiving yards.
While Britt's 3,043 career receiving yards are impressive, he also has the top two single-season receiving seasons in school history with 1,232 yards in 2007 and 1,371 yards in 2008.
Wisconsin: Lee Evans
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Born: March 11, 1981 (Bedford, Ohio)
High School: Bedford High School (Bedford, Ohio)
Height/weight: 5-foot-10, 197 pounds
Career highlights: Two-time All-Big Ten (2001, 2003)
Bottom line: You couldn't take your eyes off the television screen when Lee Evans was catching passes for Wisconsin. Evans had 75 receptions for 1,545 receiving yards and nine touchdowns as a sophomore in 2001 despite Wisconsin using four different starting quarterbacks. He missed his entire junior season with a torn ACL in 2002 then returned as a senior in 2003 with 64 receptions for 1,213 yards and 13 touchdowns.
Evans was drafted by the Buffalo Bills at No. 13 overall in 2004 and played eight seasons in the NFL.
Big 12 Conference
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Current schools: Baylor, Iowa State, Kansas, Kansas State, Oklahoma, Oklahoma State, TCU, Texas, Texas Tech, West Virginia, BYU, Central Florida, Cincinnati, Houston
Future schools: Colorado, Arizona, Arizona State, Utah
National championships: 13 (Oklahoma 7, Texas 4, Oklahoma State 1, TCU 1)
Baylor: Corey Coleman
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Born: July 6, 1994 (Dallas, Texas)
High School: J.J. Pearce High School (Richardson, Texas)
Height/weight: 5-foot-11, 185 pounds
Career highlights: Biletnikoff Award (2015), AP All-American (2015), All-Big 12 (2015), All-USFL Team (2023)
Bottom line: Corey Coleman had 35 receptions for 527 yards as a freshman in 2013 despite missing three games with a hamstring injury, then put together back-to-back seasons with over 1,000 yards receiving. Coleman's masterpiece came in 2015 as a junior — 74 receptions for 1,363 yards and 20 touchdowns on the way to winning the Biletnikoff Award and being named an All-American.
BYU: Austin Collie
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Born: November 11, 1985 (Hamilton, Ontario, Canada)
High School: Oak Ridge High School (El Dorado Hills, California)
Height/weight: 6-foot-3, 204 pounds
Career highlights: Two-time All-MWC (2007, 2008), MWC Freshman of the Year (2004), Las Vegas Bowl MVP (2007), PFWA All-Rookie Team (2009), Sacramento Bee High School Player of the Decade 2000s
Bottom line: Austin Collie broke BYU freshman records for receptions and receiving yards and was the MWC Freshman of the Year in 2004 before leaving school for two years to go on a Mormon mission. Collie returned to earn All-MWC honors in 2007 and 2008 and led the nation in receiving yards per game in 2008 and set an NCAA single-season record with 11 consecutive 100-yard receiving games.
Cincinnati: Mardy Gilyard
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Born: December 2, 1986 (Daytona Beach, Florida)
High School: Flagler High School (Palm Coast, Florida)
Height/weight: 6-foot, 187 pounds
Career highlights: Two-time AP All-American (2008, 2009), two-time All-Big East (2008, 2009), two-time Big East Special Teams Player of the Year (2008, 2009), Senior Bowl Offensive MVP (2010), All-National Arena League (2019)
Bottom line: Mardy Gilyard's path to becoming a star wide receiver at Cincinnati wasn't a straight line — he played cornerback as a freshman in 2005, took an academic redshirt in 2006 and moved to wide receiver in 2007.
Gilyard switched to wide receiver as a sophomore in 2007, had back-to-back seasons with over 1,000 receiving yards in 2008 and 2009 and was named Big Teams Special Teams Player of the Year twice. Gilyard finished his career with a staggering 8,215 all-purpose yards and 31 touchdowns.
Houston: Patrick Edwards
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Born: October 25, 1988 (Temple, Texas)
High School: Hearne High School (Hearne, Texas)
Height/weight: 5-foot-9, 175 pounds
Career highlights: Conference USA Offensive Player of the Year (2011), All-Conference USA (2011)
Bottom line: You can always make the argument against a "system" quarterback or wide receiver to make it seem like their stats aren't as significant, but the bottom line is the bottom line.
Houston's Patrick Edwards, just 5-foot-9 and 175 pounds, joined Houston as a walk-on in 2007, earned a scholarship and became one of the NCAA's career receiving leaders — he finished his career with an incredible 4,507 receiving yards and 43 touchdowns. His numbers would have been higher but he only played eight games as a freshman because he broke his leg in a freak accident playing at Marshall when he ran into a cart left at the edge of the end zone with equipment for the Marshall band.
Iowa State: Allen Lazard
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Born: December 11, 1995 (Des Moines, Iowa)
High School: Urbandale High School (Urbandale, Iowa)
Height/weight: 6-foot-5, 227 pounds
Career highlights: Four-time All-Big 12 (2014-17), USA Today High School All-American (2013)
Bottom line: Allen Lazard started 11 of 12 games as a true freshman for Iowa State and finished his career as the school's career leader with 3,360 receiving yards and was a four-time All-Big 12 selection.
Despite being 6-foot-5 and 227 pounds with a 4.5-second 40-yard dash, Lazard went undrafted and made the Green Bay Packers as a free agent in 2018, became one of their most productive wide receivers and signed a four-year $44 million contract with the New Jets before the 2023 season.
Kansas: Dezmon Briscoe
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Born: August 31, 1989 (Dallas, Texas)
High School: Cedar Hill High School (Cedar Hill, Texas)
Height/weight: 6-foot-3, 200 pounds
Career highlights: Two-time All-Big 12 (2008, 2009), Sports Illustrated All-American (2008), Insight Bowl Offensive MVP (2008)
Bottom line: Dezmon Briscoe set school records with 92 receptions, 1,407 receiving yards and 15 touchdowns in 2008. His three seasons at Kansas included playing on the best team in school history in 2007, when the Jayhawks went 12-1 and won the Orange Bowl. Briscoe had another big season in 2008 with 84 receptions for 1,337 yards and nine touchdowns before leaving school early for the NFL Draft.
Kansas State: Tyler Lockett
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Born: September 28, 1992 (Tulsa, Oklahoma)
High School: Booker T. Washington High School (Tulsa, Oklahoma)
Height/weight: 5-foot-9, 182 pounds
Career highlights: Two-time AP All-American (2011, 2014), three-time All-Big 12 (2011, 2013, 2014), two-time Big 12 Special Teams Player of the Year (2013, 2014), Big 12 Offensive Freshman of the Year (2011), three-time NFL All-Pro (2015-17), Pro Bowl (2015), PFWA All-Rookie Team (2015)
Bottom line: It's worth pointing out that when it comes to career receiving yards and receptions in Kansas State history, three of the top five spots belong to the Lockett family, with all three in the same spots for both — No. 1 Tyler Lockett (249 receptions, 3,710 yards), No. 2 Kevin Lockett (217 receptions, 3,032 yards) and No. 5 Aaron Lockett (137 receptions, 2,400 yards).
Also worth pointing out? None of them played together. Tyler Lockett was the last to play there from 2011 to 2014 following Aaron, his uncle, who was there from 1998 to 2001, and Tyler's father, Kevin, who played there from 1993 to 1996.
Oklahoma: Ryan Broyles
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Born: April 9, 1988 (Oklahoma City, Oklahoma)
High School: Norman High School (Norman, Oklahoma)
Height/weight: 5-foot-10, 192 pounds
Career highlights: Two-time AP All-American (2010, 2011), two-time All-Big 12 (2010, 2011)
Bottom line: Ryan Broyles was a two-time consensus All-American at the University of Oklahoma and set the FBS career receptions list as a senior in 2011. The Norman High product finished his career with 349 receptions for 4,586 receiving yards and 45 touchdowns.
We can only imagine what Broyles' final stats would have looked like had he not torn his ACL and missed the final four games of his senior season — a time when he was averaging 128.5 receiving yards per game.
Oklahoma State: Justin Blackmon
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Born: January 9, 1990 (Oceanside, California)
High School: Plainview High School (Ardmore, Oklahoma)
Height/weight: 6-foot-1, 210 pounds
Career highlights: Two-time Biletnikoff Award winner (2010, 2011), two-time AP All-American (2010, 2011), two-time All-Big 12 (2010, 2011), Big 12 Offensive Player of the Year (2010), Fiesta Bowl Offensive MVP (2012), PFWA All-Rookie Team (2012)
Bottom line: Oklahoma State has two wide receivers in the Top 10 for the NCAA's career receiving yards list — James Washington and Rashaun Woods — but Justin Blackmon was better than both of them.
In three seasons playing with the Cowboys, Blackmon's final two ended with him having over 1,500 receiving yards and holding the Biletnikoff Award. The two-time All-American capped his career by winning Fiesta Bowl Offensive MVP honors in a win over Stanford before being selected No. 5 overall by the Jacksonville Jaguars in the 2013 NFL Draft.
Blackmon only lasted two seasons in the NFL and was out of football entirely following three years in which he was arrested three times and suspended twice by the NFL for violating the league's substance abuse policies.
TCU: Quentin Johnston
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Born: September 6, 2001 (Temple, Texas)
High School: Temple High School (Temple, Texas)
Height/weight: 6-foot-4, 215 pounds
Career highlights: Two-time All-Big 12 (2021, 2022),
Bottom line: Quentin Johnston became a starter for TCU as a true freshman in 2020, playing eight games in a pandemic-shortened season with 22 receptions for 487 yards and four touchdowns. Johnston was an All-Big 12 pick as a sophomore in 2021 before putting together a breakout season in 2022 with 60 receptions for 1,069 receiving yards and six touchdowns as he helped lead TCU to the CFP Championship Game.
Johnston left TCU with one year of eligibility remaining and was selected No. 21 overall by the San Diego Chargers in the 2023 NFL Draft.
Texas: Roy Williams
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Born: December 20, 1981 (Odessa, Texas)
High School: Permian High School (Odessa, Texas)
Height/weight: 6-foot-3, 215 pounds
Career highlights: AP All-American (2003), three-time All-Big 12 (2001-03), Big 12 Offensive Freshman of the Year (2000), Cotton Bowl Classic MVP (2003), PFWA All-Rookie Team (2004), Pro Bowl (2006)
Bottom line: Nicknamed "The Legend" for his play at Texas, Roy Williams left college with school records for career receiving yards (3,866), receptions (241) and receiving touchdowns (39). Williams was also a track star at Texas, where he ran the 100-meter dash as well as participating in the long jump and high jump.
Texas Tech: Michael Crabtree
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Born: September 14, 1987 (Dallas, Texas)
High School: Carter High School (Dallas, Texas)
Height/weight: 6-foot-1, 215 pounds
Career highlights: Two-time Biletnikoff Award winner (2007, 2008), two-time AP All-American (2007, 2008), two-time All-Big 12 (2007, 2008), Big 12 Offensive Freshman of the Year (2007)
Bottom line: Texas head coach Mack Brown wanted Michael Crabtree to play defense for him when he was recruiting Crabtree out of Dallas Carter High. Crabtree wanted to score touchdowns and decided to play for Texas Tech and head coach Mike Leach instead.
Despite winning the Biletnikoff Award as the nation's top wide receiver in each of his two seasons at Texas Tech, Crabtree is much more known for catching the game-winning touchdown as time expired to beat No. 1 Texas in Lubbock in 2008 and for being the inspiration for Seattle Seahawks cornerback Richard Sherman's bizarre/cool postgame rant following the 2013 NFC Championship Game against Crabtree's San Francisco 49ers.
UCF: Brandon Marshall
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Born: March 23, 1984 (Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania)
High School: Lake Howell High School (Winter Park, Florida)
Height/weight: 6-foot-5, 232 pounds
Career highlights: All-Conference USA (2005), Hawaii Bowl MVP (2005), two-time NFL All-Pro (2012, 2015), six-time Pro Bowl (2008, 2009, 2011-13, 2015), Pro Bowl MVP (2012)
Bottom line: While his career stats at UCF aren't going to jump off the page, it doesn't feel right to keep UCF's Brandon Marshall off this list — partly because some of what happened to him in college was out of his control.
Marshall had a solid sophomore season at wide receiver with 28 receptions for 377 yards and two touchdowns but in all of his infinite wisdom, head coach George O'Leary started Marshall at seven games as a junior in 2004. O'Leary came back to his senses in 2005 and moved the future NFL All-Pro wide receiver back to his natural position. Marshall responded with 74 receptions for 1,195 yards and 11 touchdowns.
West Virginia: Tavon Austin
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Born: March 15, 1990 (Baltimore, Maryland)
High School: Dunbar High School (Baltimore, Maryland)
Height/weight: 5-foot-8, 185 pounds
Career highlights: Big East Special Teams Player of the Year (2011), two-time AP All-American (2011, 2012), two-time All-Big East (2011, 2012), Big 12 Special Teams Player of the Year (2012), All-Big 12 (2012), PFWA All-Rookie Team (2013)
Bottom line: Few players in recent college football history have been as exciting to watch as West Virginia's Tavon Austin, a two-time All-American who earned Special Teams Player of the Year in both the Big East and Big 12 as his team switched conferences during his career.
Austin's career stats seem like something off of a video game: 7,386 all-purpose yards and 40 touchdowns spread across receiving, rushing, and return yardage. Austin was selected No. 8 overall in the 2013 NFL Draft and played nine seasons for four different teams.
Pac-12 Conference
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Current schools: Arizona, Arizona State, California, UCLA, Colorado, Oklahoma, Oklahoma State, USC, Stanford, Utah, Washington, Washington State
National championships: 10 (USC 7, Colorado 1, UCLA 1, Washington 1)
Arizona: Dennis Northcutt
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Born: December 22, 1977 (Los Angeles, California)
High School: Susan Miller Dorsey High School (Los Angeles, California)
Height/weight: 5-foot-11, 172 pounds
Career highlights: AP All-American (1999), All-Pac-10 (1999)
Bottom line: Arizona's Dennis Northcutt left college with the Pac-10 career record for both receptions (223) and receiving yards (3,252). Northcutt was named an All-American at all-purpose back as a senior in 1999 when he racked up 1,622 yards of total offense and 11 total touchdowns, including two kickoff returns for touchdowns.
Northcutt is also one of six players from the Los Angeles area to make this list for the Pac-12 and one of seven from Southern California.
Arizona State: Derek Hagan
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Born: September 21, 1984 (Northridge, California)
High School: Palmdale High School (Palmdale, California)
Height/weight: 6-foot-2, 210 pounds
Career highlights: Three-time All-Pac-10 (2003-05), Sporting News Pac-10 All-Freshman Team (2002), Sports Illustrated All-American (2005)
Bottom line: Arizona State's Derek Hagan was able to sharpen his skills early at Palmdale (Calif.) High, where he faced teammate and future NFL safety Tyrone Culver every day in practice. Hagan was lights out for the Sun Devils, racking up over 1,000 receiving yards in each of his last three college seasons on the way to being a three-time All-Pac-10 selection.
California: DeSean Jackson
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Born: December 1, 1986 (Los Angeles, California)
High School: Long Beach Polytechnic High (Long Beach, California)
Height/weight: 5-foot-10, 175 pounds
Career highlights: Two-time AP All-American (2006, 2007), two-time All-Pac-10 (2006, 2007), NFL All-Pro (2009), three-time Pro Bowl (2009, 2010, 2013), PFWA All-Rookie Team (2008)
Bottom line: DeSean Jackson came to Cal to play both football and baseball but after his freshman football season in which he scored on offense and special teams in his very first game and had over 100 receiving yards in three games, including 135 yards and two touchdowns in a Las Vegas Bowl win over BYU.
Jackson was an All-American each of the next two seasons as both a return specialist and wide receiver before leaving school early for the NFL Draft. Jackson played 15 seasons in the NFL and was a three-time Pro Bowl selection.
UCLA: J.J. Stokes
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Born: October 6, 1972 (San Diego, California)
High School: Point Loma High School (San Diego, California)
Height/weight: 6-foot-4, 225 pounds
Career highlights: AP All-American (1993), Pac-10 Offensive Player of the Year (1993), All-Pac-10 (1993), Super Bowl champion (2004)
Bottom line: J.J. Stokes had over 500 receiving yards in each of his last three seasons at UCLA, including a breakout year as a junior in 1993 with 1,181 receiving yards and 17 touchdowns. Stokes was a Heisman favorite headed into his senior season but battled injuries the entire season — it did little to slow down his professional hopes as the 6-foot-4, 225-pound San Diego native was still selected No. 10 overall by San Francisco 49ers in the 1995 NFL Draft.
Some of Stokes' UCLA records that still stand have recently passed the 30-year mark — single-season receiving touchdowns (17), single-game receiving yards (263) and career receiving touchdowns (28).
Colorado: Michael Westbrook
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Born: July 7, 1972 (Detroit, Michigan)
High School: Chadsey High School (Detroit, Michigan)
Height/weight: 6-foot-3, 221 pounds
Career highlights: Two-time AP All-American (1992, 1994), two-time All-Big Eight (1992, 1994), Paul Warfield Trophy (1994)
Bottom line: Michael Westbrook's college career was much more than the miracle catch he made on a Hail Mary from Kordell Stewart to beat Michigan in 1994.
Westbrook was the first Colorado wide receiver to earn multiple All-Big Eight and multiple All-American honors. He left school as the Buffalo career leader in receptions (167) and receiving yards (2,548).
Westbrook was drafted No. 4 overall by the Washington Redskins in 1995 and played eight seasons but was injured for part or most of six seasons.
Oregon: De'Anthony Thomas
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Born: January 5, 1993 (Los Angeles, California)
High School: Crenshaw High School (Los Angeles, California)
Height/weight: 5-foot-9, 176 pounds
Career highlights: All-Pac-12 (2011), Pac-12 Offensive Freshman of the Year (2011), PFWA All-Rookie Team (2014)
Bottom line: Picking a wide receiver for Oregon seemed like a wide-open space so going with De'Anthony Thomas seemed right. Thomas could have had over 1,000 receiving yards in any given season he was with the Ducks but he was too valuable with the ball in his hands and ended up getting a lot of carries as well — he was also his team's top weapon on special teams.
Thomas, who also starred in track for the Ducks, had 3,186 yards of total offense and a staggering 41 touchdowns in three seasons. All told he had 5,345 all-purpose yards and 46 touchdowns.
Oregon State: Mike Hass
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Born: January 2, 1983 (Portland, Oregon)
High School: Jesuit High School (Beaverton, Oregon)
Height/weight: 6-foot-1, 206 pounds
Career highlights: Biletnikoff Award (2005), AP All-American (2005), two-time All-Pac-10 (2004, 2005)
Bottom line: Mike Hass walked on at Oregon State and didn't catch a pass as a freshman in 2002, playing exclusively on special teams. He made up for it by reeling off three consecutive 1,000-plus yard receiving seasons and winning the Biletnikoff Award as the nation's top wide receiver in 2005.
Hass played four seasons in the NFL and two seasons in the UFL and was inducted into the College Football Hall of Fame in 2022.
USC: Keyshawn Johnson
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Born: July 22, 1972 (Los Angeles, California)
High School: Susan Miller Dorsey High School (Los Angeles, California)
Height/weight: 6-foot-4, 211 pounds
Career highlights: Two-time AP All-American (1994, 1995), Pac-10 Offensive Player of the Year (1995), two-time All-Pac-10 (1994, 1995), Super Bowl champion (2003), three-time Pro Bowl (1998, 1999, 2001)
Bottom line: Keyshawn Johnson was out of football entirely less than six months after he graduated from high school after quitting the team at West Los Angeles College and stayed away for two more years before getting back to school, starring at the juco and eventually earning a scholarship from USC, his hometown school.
Johnson set the nation on fire in two seasons for the Trojans, racking up 168 receptions for 2,796 yards and 16 touchdowns. Johnson capped his career by setting the Rose Bowl record with 216 receiving yards in a win over Northwestern. Johnson was the No. 1 overall pick in the 1996 NFL Draft by the New York Jets — no wide receiver has been taken with the No. 1 pick since.
Stanford: Troy Walters
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Born: December 15, 1976 (Bloomington, Indiana)
High School: A&M Consolidated High School (College Station, Texas)
Height/weight: 5-foot-8, 171 pounds
Career highlights: Biletnikoff Award (1999), AP All-American (1999), Pac-10 Offensive Player of the Year (1999)
Bottom line: Stanford's Troy Walters checked in at just 5-foot-8 and 171 pounds but his 3,986 career receiving yards and 244 receptions still stand as school records.
Walters led the Cardinal to the Rose Bowl as a senior and won the Biletnikoff Award. He went on to play eight seasons in the NFL as a wide receiver/return specialist, racking up almost 5,000 all-purpose yards.
Walters was a college football assistant coach for over a decade — most notably as the offensive coordinator at UCF and Nebraska under Scott Frost — and has been the Cincinnati Bengals wide receivers coach since 2020.
Utah: Steve Smith
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Born: May 12, 1979 (Los Angeles, California)
High School: University High School (Los Angeles, California)
Height/weight: 5-foot-9, 195 pounds
Career highlights: Two-time All-MWC (1999, 2000), three-time NFL All-Pro (2001, 2005, 2008), five-time Pro Bowl (2001, 2005, 2006, 2008, 2011), PFWA All-Rookie Team (2001)
Bottom line: Steve Smith spent two seasons at Santa Monica College, a juco, where he was paired up with another future NFL wide receiver in Chad Ochocinco (then Chad Johnson) before heading to Utah for his final two college seasons.
Utah has a great history of wide receivers including Kevin Dyson and Smith but no one who really put up big numbers — only seven players in school history have over 1,000 receiving yards in a single season and no one has ever had more than 1,200 yards in a single season.
Smith did a little bit of everything for the Utes, catching passes and returning punts and kicks for 3,020 all-purpose yards and 16 touchdowns. He went on to play 16 seasons in the NFL, making three NFL All-Pro Teams and winning NFL Comeback Player of the Year in 2005.
Washington: Mario Bailey
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Born: November 30, 1970 (Seattle, Washington)
High School: Franklin High School (Seattle, Washington)
Height/weight: 5-foot-9, 162 pounds
Career highlights: National Champion (1991), AP All-American (1991), Pac-10 Offensive Player of the Year (1991), two-time World Bowl champion (1995, 2000), three-time All-NFL Europe (1998-2000)
Bottom line: Mario Bailey had a virtuoso season for Washington in 1991 with 62 receptions for 1,037 yards and 17 touchdowns in leading his team to the national championship. Bailey played professional football for 11 years in the NFL, NFL Europe, and XFL, winning the World Bowl twice and being named All-NFL Europe three times.
Washington State: Gabe Marks
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Born: August 6, 1994 (Los Angeles, California)
High School: Venice High School (Los Angeles, California)
Height/weight: 6-foot, 175 pounds
Career highlights: Two-time All-Pac-12 (2015, 2016),
Bottom line: Washington State's Gabe Marks was one of the big benefactors of former head coach Mike Leach's "Air Raid" offense after he was hired in 2012.
Marks set school career records with 316 receptions, 3,453 receiving yards, and 37 receiving touchdowns — he also ended his career as the Pac-12's career leader for receptions, which is a record that will seemingly last forever with the league disbanding, for all intents and purposes, following the 2023 season.
He also set the school single-game record with four touchdown receptions in a 45-42 win over Arizona in 2015.
Southeastern Conference (SEC)
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Current schools: Florida, Georgia, Kentucky, Missouri, South Carolina, Tennessee, Vanderbilt, Alabama, Arkansas, Auburn, LSU, Ole Miss, Texas A&M
Future schools: Oklahoma, Texas
National championships: 28 (Alabama 13, LSU 4, Florida 3, Georgia 3, Auburn 2, Tennessee 2, Texas A&M 1)
Alabama: DeVonta Smith
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Born: November 14, 1998 (Amite City, Louisiana)
High School: Amite High School (Amite City, Louisiana)
Height/weight: 6-foot, 170 pounds
Career highlights: Heisman Trophy (2020), two-time CFP National champion (2017, 2020), CFP National Championship Offensive MVP (2020), Maxwell Award (2020), Walter Camp Award (2020), Biletnikoff Award (2020), AP College Football Player of the Year (2020), AP All-American (2020), SEC Offensive Player of the Year (2020), two-time All-SEC (2019, 2020)
Bottom line: Alabama's DeVonta Smith needs to be in the conversation when we talk about the greatest college football wide receivers of all time. And he needs to be toward the top of the list.
Smith was the first wide receiver since Tim Brown in 1987 to win the Heisman Trophy after he racked up a staggering 117 receptions for 1,856 receiving yards and 23 touchdowns in 2020 on the way to winning his second national title in four years. That being said, no play in Smith's career will likely ever be bigger than his one reception in the 2018 College Football Playoff National Championship Game — a 41-yard touchdown catch in overtime to beat Georgia 26-23.
Arkansas: Joe Adams
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Born: November 22, 1989 (Little Rock, Arkansas)
High School: Central Arkansas Christian High School (North Little Rock, Arkansas)
Height/weight: 5-foot-11, 190 pounds
Career highlights: AP All-American (2011), All-SEC (2011), SEC Special Teams Player of the Year (2011), Jet Award (2011), Championship Indoor Football champion (2017)
Bottom line: Joe Adams was a great wide receiver for Arkansas but will forever be known for perhaps the greatest punt return in college football history with a physics-defying 60-yard return for a touchdown against Tennessee in 2011. Still, Arkansas has had a lot of good wide receivers in its history but never a really great one — only four times in school history have players passed 1,000 receiving yards in a single season.
Adams played one season in the NFL and three seasons in the Champions Indoor Football League.
Auburn: Terry Beasley
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Born: February 5, 1950 (Montgomery, Alabama)
High School: Robert E. Lee High School (Montgomery, Alabama)
Height/weight: 5-foot-11, 186 pounds
Career highlights: Two-time AP All-American (1970, 1971), three-time All-SEC (1969-71)
Bottom line: There aren't a lot of players from older generations to make the list because football, for the most part, was primarily a run-dominated game until the last 10-20 years.
Auburn's Terry Beasley is one of the exceptions — a two-time All-American who racked up 141 receptions, 2,507 yards and 29 touchdowns in the late 1960s and early 1970s, including 52 receptions for 1,051 yards and 12 touchdowns in 1970. Beasley was elected to the College Football Hall of Fame in 2002.
Florida: Carlos Alvarez
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Born: May 1, 1950 (Havana, Cuba)
High School: North Miami Senior High School (North Miami, Florida)
Height/weight: 5-foot-11, 185 pounds
Career highlights: AP All-American (1969), All-SEC (1969), Florida Gators All-Century Team, three-time Academic All-American (1969-71)
Bottom line: Carlos Alvarez and his parents fled Fidel Castro's communist Cuba when he was 10 years old and settled in Miami, where he became a football star at North Miami High.
Alvarez led Florida's "Super Sophs" to a 9-1-1 record and upset Tennessee in the Gator Bowl in 1969. Although he battled knee injuries the next two seasons, he left school with SEC career records for receptions and receiving yards. Alvarez still holds Florida records for single-game pass receptions (15), single-season pass receptions (88) and career receiving yards (2,563) — it's worth pointing out he played in an era where freshman weren't allowed to play varsity.
Alvarez chose law school over an NFL career and got his law degree from Duke in 1975. He's been a practicing attorney since the 1970s.
Georgia: A.J. Green
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Born: July 31, 1988 (Summerville, South Carolina)
High School: Summerville High School (Summerville, South Carolina)
Height/weight: 6-foot-4, 207 pounds
Career highlights: Two-time AP All-American (2009, 2010), three-time All-SEC (2008-10), SEC Freshman of the Year (2008), two-time NFL All-Pro (2012, 2013), seven-time Pro Bowl (2011-17), PFWA All-Rookie Team (2011)
Bottom line: A.J. Green was one of the most highly-recruited wide receivers of all time coming out of Summerville High before earning All-American honors twice at Georgia, where he had 166 receptions for 2,619 yards and 23 touchdowns in three seasons.
Green started his NFL career with five consecutive seasons with over 1,000 receiving yards and made the Pro Bowl in each of his first seven seasons.
Kentucky: Randall Cobb
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Born: August 22, 1990 (Maryville, Tennessee)
High School: Alcoa High School (Alcoa, Tennessee)
Height/weight: 5-foot-10, 192 pounds
Career highlights: AP All-American (2010), two-time All-SEC (2009, 2010), All-SEC Freshman Team (2008), Pro Bowl (2014), PFWA All-Rookie Team (2011)
Bottom line: Randall Cobb was a star quarterback for Alcoa (Tenn.) High, leading his school to four consecutive state championships and made the SEC All-Freshman Team at quarterback at Kentucky before switching positions as a sophomore. Cobb had a virtuoso season as a junior, putting up 1,441 yards of total offense and 12 touchdowns, including 84 receptions for 1,017 receiving yards on the way to being named an All-American.
LSU: Ja'Marr Chase
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Born: March 1, 2000 (Harvey, Louisiana)
High School: Archbishop Rummel High School (Metairie, Louisiana)
Height/weight: 6-foot, 201 pounds
Career highlights: CFP National Champion (2019), Biletnikoff Award (2019), AP All-American (2019), All-SEC (2019), NFL All-Pro (2021), two-time Pro Bowl (2021, 2022), NFL Offensive Rookie of the Year (2021), PFWA All-Rookie Team (2021)
Bottom line: LSU's JaMarr Chase was the best wide receiver on arguably the greatest college football team of all time. He had 84 receptions for 1,780 yards and 20 touchdowns in 2019 as the Tigers went 14-0 and won the national title.
Chase opted out of the 2020 season because of the pandemic and was selected No. 5 overall by the Cincinnati Bengals, where he was teamed up again with his college quarterback, Joe Burrow. He set the NFL rookie record with 1,455 receiving yards in 2021 along with records for single-game receiving yards (266) and postseason receiving yards by a rookie (368).
Mississippi: A.J. Brown
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Born: June 30, 1997 (Starkville, Mississippi)
High School: Starkville High School (Starkville, Mississippi)
Height/weight: 6-foot-1, 226 pounds
Career highlights: Two-time All-SEC (2017, 2018), Conerly Trophy (2017), NFL All-Pro (2022), two-time Pro Bowl (2020, 2022), PFWA All-Rookie Team (2019)
Bottom line: A.J. Brown started 36 consecutive games at Ole Miss — every game from his freshman through junior seasons — before leaving school early for the NFL Draft.
Brown left a trail of shook defenders in his wake, racking up over 1,200 receiving yards in each of his last two seasons, which are coincidentally the two single-season totals in school history.
Mississippi State: Fred Ross
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Born: May 19, 1995 (Tyler, Texas)
High School: John Tyler High School (Tyler, Texas)
Height/weight: 6-foot-2, 205 pounds
Career highlights: Two-time All-SEC (2015, 2016), Senior Bowl (2016), Conerly Trophy finalist (2016)
Bottom line: Fred Ross became just the second player in Mississippi State history to have over 1,000 receiving yards in a season in 2015 — the first was Mardye McDole in 1978. Ross had the benefit of having Dak Prescott throwing him passes and is still the Bulldogs' career leader in receiving yards (2,528). Ross went undrafted but still played two seasons for the Seattle Seahawks.
Missouri: Jeremy Maclin
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Born: May 11, 1988 (Kirkwood, Missouri)
High School: Kirkwood High School (Kirkwood, Missouri)
Height/weight: 6-foot, 198 pounds
Career highlights: Three-time AP All-American (2007, 2008, 2008), two-time All-Big 12 (2007, 2008), Big 12 Offensive Freshman of the Year (2007), Pro Bowl (2014)
Bottom line: The midwestern version of DeSean Jackson was Missouri's Jeremy Maclin, a do-it-all player who was a star on some of the Tigers' best teams of all time.
As a freshman in 2007, Maclin set the NCAA freshman records for all-purpose yards (2,776) and was named AP All-American at the all-purpose position. As a sophomore in 2008, Maclin had 2,883 all-purpose yards and earned All-American honors at two positions: all-purpose and wide receiver.
South Carolina: Sterling Sharpe
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Born: April 6, 1965 (Chicago, Illinois)
High School: Glennville High School (Glennville, Georgia)
Height/weight: 6-foot, 207 pounds
Career highlights: AP All-American (1987), two-time All-SEC (1986, 1987), three-time NFL All-Pro (1989, 1992, 1993), five-time Pro Bowl (1989, 1990, 1992-94), Green Bay Packers Hall of Fame
Bottom line: How good was Sterling Sharpe at South Carolina? They retired his No. 2 jersey while he was still playing. That's how good.
Sharpe, who was inducted into the College Football Hall of Fame in 2014, left college with school records for career receptions (169), receiving yards (2,497) and touchdowns (17), which was broken by Sidney Rice in 2005. Sharpe also still holds the record for longest play in South Carolina history with a 100-yard kickoff return for a touchdown against Duke in 1985.
Tennessee: Peerless Price
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Born: October 27, 1976 (Dayton, Ohio)
High School: Meadowdale High School (Dayton, Ohio)
Height/weight: 5-foot-11, 194 pounds
Career highlights: BCS National Champion (1998), All-SEC (1998), BCS National Championship Game MVP (1998)
Bottom line: Peerless Price was one of the shining stars on Tennessee's magical 1998 national championship team. His feats included scoring the game-winning touchdowns in both the SEC Championship Game against Mississippi State and the BCS Championship Game against Florida State. In the BCS Championship Game, Price had four receptions for 199 yards. He played nine seasons in the NFL.
Texas A&M: Mike Evans
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Born: August 21, 1993 (Galveston, Texas)
High School: Ball High School (Galveston, Texas)
Height/weight: 6-foot-5, 231 pounds
Career highlights: AP All-American (2013), All-SEC (2013), Super Bowl champion (2021), NFL All-Pro (2016), four-time Pro Bowl (2016, 2018, 2019, 2021), PFWA All-Rookie Team (2014)
Bottom line: Texas A&M football found itself at the pinnacle of sports and pop culture in the early 2010s with rebel QB and Heisman Trophy winner Johnny Manziel, but the true star of the team was probably wide receiver Mike Evans. At 6-foot-5 and 230 pounds, Evans was built more like a tight end but destroyed defensive backs with his size, speed, and athleticism — he had 82 receptions for 1,105 yards and five touchdowns as a redshirt freshman in 2012 then 69 receptions for 1,394 yards and 12 touchdowns as a sophomore before leaving school for the NFL Draft.
Evans also holds a pretty incredible piece of NFL history with the most consecutive 1,000-yard receiving seasons to open a career with nine.
Vanderbilt: Jordan Matthews
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Born: July 16, 1992 (Madison, Alabama)
High School: Madison Academy (Huntsville, Alabama)
Height/weight: 6-foot-3, 236 pounds
Career highlights: AP All-American (2013), two-time All-SEC (2012, 2013)
Bottom line: To avoid any confusion — Jordan Matthews played wide receiver in college and didn't change positions to tight end until he was in the NFL.
When he was at Vanderbilt, Matthews was one of the best players in school history catching the ball, including back-to-back seasons with over 1,300 receiving yards in 2012 and 2013. Matthews set the SEC record with 112 receptions in 2013.