Ranking the 10 best wide receivers in college football
The wide receiver position remains crucial in the modern game of college football as the sport adopts a more wide open, pass-oriented style of offense.
Placing a premium on teams who can recruit and develop the fastest, most reliable players going deep on any given Saturday.
The sport lost a ton of elite, blue-chip talent at the position in the NFL Draft this year, but there's another class of speedsters coming up to take the game by storm.
College football rankings: 10 best wide receivers this season
10. Mario Williams
Where he plays: USC
2021 stats: 35 rec, 380 yards, 4 TD
Williams was a reliable fixture for Oklahoma a year ago as a backup in this offense, not surpassing 50 yards in all but one game, a five catch, 100-yard, TD performance against Texas Tech.
A potentially explosive outside target, Williams was one of five Power 5 receivers to have at least 40 targets and not drop a single pass, according to PFF.
Now looking at a more pronounced role with USC paired with quarterback Caleb Williams, the former 4-star prospect has the tools to beat press coverage at the line of scrimmage and go deep with a burst of quickness.
9. Dontayvion Wicks
Where he plays: Virginia
2021 stats: 57 rec, 1,203 yards, 9 TD
Wicks came back from a 2020 injury to post a thousand-yard campaign last fall, placing second in TD catches and fourth in receiving yards among ACC pass catchers while posting a 21 ypc average on the way.
He eclipsed 100 yards in six appearances, but Virginia won just two of those games thanks to an all too generous defense that ranked No. 121 overall last season. Somewhat overlooked as a recruit coming out of Louisiana, Wicks earned first-team All-ACC honors last fall.
8. Cedric Tillman
Where he plays: Tennessee
2021 stats: 64 rec, 1,081 yards, 12 TD
The wideout led the Vols in catches, yards, and touchdown catches as an instrumental fixture in the No. 9 overall offense in college football last fall.
Tillman's TD mark was second in the SEC among receivers and he caught a touchdown in each of UT's final seven matchups, including a 200 yard showing against Georgia's man-eating defense.
Now, with quarterback Hendon Hooker back under center and Tennessee signing transfer receiver Bru McCoy, Tillman should be able to find open lanes more easily this season as the Vols try to make a case in the SEC East.
7. Keytaon Thompson
Where he plays: Virginia
2021 stats: 78 rec, 990 yards, 2 TD
A former quarterback at Mississippi State, Thompson has made a name for himself at the receiver position, boasting size, speed, and physicality that's tough to defend against.
A key target for Brennan Armstrong in the offense ranked No. 3 overall in college football, Thompson caught over 50 percent of contested balls thrown his way and can log some important snaps as a wildcat quarterback/running back if need be.
6. A.T. Perry
Where he plays: Wake Forest
2021 stats: 71 rec, 1,293 yards, 15 TD
One of the breakout performers in college football last season, Perry was a menace against defensive backs a year ago, posting a TD mark that was second-best in the ACC and third in FBS. He scored eight times through Wake's first seven games and went over 100 yards in seven appearances.
A key fixture in an offense that ranked No. 11 nationally, Perry pairs very well with quarterback Sam Hartman, whose return sets up a 1-2 punch that could put the Deacons right back in the ACC race this fall.
Rankings continue below
Honorable Mention
Marvin Mims, Oklahoma. The former top 30 recruit improved his production a year ago, catching 32 passes for 705 yards and five touchdowns, and figures to take a much bigger share of the load after OU lost both its top two quarterbacks. Transfer QB Dillon Gabriel is a very capable passer, coming in with 8,000 career passing yards and looking for a threat on the outside who can go deep.
Jermaine Burton, Alabama. A year ago, Burton was the top receiver on Georgia's national championship team, but took a flier on the Crimson Tide, the defending SEC champion which was in the market for a No. 1 target after losing two thousand-yard receivers to the NFL. Burton, a top 15 prospect from California, caught 26 balls for a shade under 500 yards last fall.
Dontay Demus, Maryland. A solid route-runner who can find the open lane and go deep, Demus needs to stay healthy in order to fully exploit his ability. Maryland was a top 35 offense behind quarterback Taulia Tagovailoa, posting the Big Ten's fourth best yardage offense and scoring unit.
5. Josh Downs
Where he plays: North Carolina
2021 stats: 101 rec, 1,335 yards, 8 TD
Downs placed first in the ACC in receptions, 10th in college football in total receiving yards, and second in the conference with 102.7 receiving yards per game.
He went over 100 yards in five games (and over 200 in one), but Carolina only won two of them, given Downs was the only real downfield option on this team.
Downs stands a few inches under six feet, but had little issue working through traffic anywhere on the field with one of the best separation rates of any receiver in the nation.
4. Xavier Worthy
Where he plays: Texas
2021 stats: 62 rec, 981 yards, 12 TD
The former No. 2 recruit for Texas in last year's recruiting class, Worthy comes in standing 6-foot-2 and 160 pounds as the clear top option in a receiver room that needs some depth. Worthy scored at least once in six of the Longhorns' nine Big 12 games and led the conference with 12 TD catches overall.
Worthy went over 100 yards in four games a season ago and scored multiple touchdowns in three outings: vs. Oklahoma, Texas Tech, and Kansas. He had a season-best 261 yards receiving in the OU game and scored three times against the Red Raiders and Jayhawks.
Now he steps into a situation with Quinn Ewers distributing from under center, which should bode well for his and the team's production, and which might finally push Texas up near the top of the Big 12 standings.
3. Kayshon Boutte
Where he plays: LSU
2021 stats: 38 rec, 509 yards, 9 TD
A season-ending injury confined Boutte to just six games last season, but in that short time the former 5-star recruit caught nine touchdown passes. He scored three times in the opener at UCLA, twice more against McNeese State, and added two more in a win over Mississippi State.
He caught six passes for 127 yards and a score against Auburn and had six receptions at Kentucky before the injury. A natural route-runner with top-flight speed, Boutte is one of the two or three fastest players in college football at any position and is a lethal threat on the outside. His being healthy going forward is crucial for LSU to start off on the right foot.
2. Jordan Addison
Where he plays: USC
2021 stats: 100 rec, 1,593 yards, 17 TD
Addison won the Biletnikoff Award as the best receiver in college football a year ago after leading the nation with 17 TD catches and placing second in the ACC in catches and first in the conference in receiving yards and receiving yards per game.
He had over 100 yards in eight games, placed second nationally with 40 catches of 15 or more yards, and led the sport with 12 touchdowns from the slot. Addison's 3.33 yards per route in the slot also ranked third in the Power 5, per PFF. In total, the wideout has 160 catches for 2,259 yards and 21 TDs the last two seasons.
After transferring to USC this offseason, Addison sits himself as the lead option in what should be one of the most improved offenses in the nation after pairing with quarterback Caleb Williams.
1. Jaxon Smith-Njigba
USA Today Images
Where he plays: Ohio State
2021 stats: 95 rec, 1,606 yards, 9 TD
In a receiver room led by future NFL first-rounders Chris Olave and Garrett Wilson, the Texas native actually set Ohio State season records in catches and yards a year ago in addition to single game records with 15 catches at Nebraska and 347 yards in the Rose Bowl, the latter also a college football all-time mark in bowl games.
His 123.5 yards per game were No. 1 in the Power 5 and No. 2 in FBS, and he posted over 100 yards receiving in seven games. Smith-Njigba was even the nation's most productive receiver with a 4.01 yard per route run average. Anything a receiver needs to do in the modern game, he can do.
Follow College Football HQ: Bookmark | Facebook | Twitter