Oregon ties Ohio State for the top college football receiver room entering the 2024 season

College football the offseason has turned into a veritable arms race with the advent of the transfer portal and recent legislation essentially banning the NCAA from enforcing its own transfer rules. Chief among the most coveted signings, given the increase in pass-heavy offenses nationally, is pass-catching players.

Wide receivers and tight ends have seen their stocks rise in recent seasons. Programs that consistently prove to be effective receivers tend to have great success. Just look at Washington and its surprising run to the College Football Playoff National Championship a year ago: the Huskies got there thanks to an explosive passing attack headlined by a trio of 2024 NFL Draft picks in Rome Odunze (Round 1), Ja'Lynn Polk (Round 2) and Jalen McMillan (Round 3).

Texas followed a similar path to a Big 12 championship and its first playoff appearance in program history, leaning on the production of wide receivers Xavier Worthy, Adonai Mitchell and tight end Ja'Tavion Sanders, among others, while advancing to a 12 -2 finish marched. . It's no wonder that highly ranked wide receivers and tight ends, whether coming out of high school or the transfer portal, are often among the most sought-after players.

Building depth at each position is especially important with conference expansion and a larger College Football Playoff adding to a team's weekly rigors. With that in mind, there are some programs that are in better shape than others at the receiver spot entering the 2024 season.

Here's a look at the country's best – at least on paper.

1. Oregon

Leading receiver Troy Franklin is headed to the N.F.L, but that shouldn't be much of a problem for an Oregon offense that should be among the best in the country. Tez Johnson, who set a single-season program record with 86 receptions in 2023, is back to lead a revamped receiving corps. He returns with 1,182 yards and 10 touchdowns and has All-American upside as another explosive season ensues. A pair of 400-yard receivers in Traeshon Holden and Gary Bryant Jr. round out Oregon's returning depth.

They are joined by transfer Evan Stewart, a former five-star player who impressed in two seasons at Texas A&M despite inconsistent quarterback play and a disappointing offensive scheme under former coach Jimbo Fisher. Even with the veterans in front of him, Stewart might be the team's best pass catcher. Returning tight ends Terrance Ferguson and Patrick Herbert and high reserves like Jurrion Dickey and Kyler Kasper make this an insanely deep unit.

2. Ohio State

No program recruits and develops wide receivers better than Ohio State. This year's group may be short on overall experience thanks to notable draft leavers like All-American Marvin Harrison Jr., but the Buckeyes are more than capable of pushing for the top spot on this list with the absurd amount of talent on the selection. Emeka Egbuka has declined the NFL Draft to give new quarterback Will Howard at least one proven option after he recorded 1,666 yards and 14 touchdowns over the past two years.

But Egbuka hasn't been the center of Ohio State's offseason hype machine. Far from it, in fact. That honor goes to true freshman Jeremiah Smith, the No. 1 prospect in the Class of 2024 and one of the most excited players never to have a crack at the collegiate level. It will be difficult to keep Smith off the field given his explosive spring. The first impression is that he is more than ready for a leading role. Carnell Tate is another former five-star prospect who the Buckeyes expect to step up after a solid first year with the program.

3.Texas

Texas must replace four of the top five receivers from last year's College Football Playoff team. That level of depletion would normally suggest regression in an explosive passing attack, but not with the way coach Steve Sarkisian has stacked talent at skill positions. The jewel of Texas' transfer class is former Alabama wide receiver Isaiah Bond, who was ranked No. 4 in 247Sports' Transfer Rankings. Bond had a red-hot finish to the 2023 season and is establishing himself as a breakout star waiting to happen. The Longhorns also poached Ber-athletic tight end transfer Amari Niblack from Alabama. Niblack should pick up whatever production remains against 2024 NFL Draft pick Ja'Tavion Sanders.

The Alabama expats are joined by Matthew Golden (Houston) and Silas Bolden (Oregon State) to form the nation's top receiving receiver. Pay special attention to Bolden, who was a multi-dimensional threat for the Beavers and is an absolute weapon with the ball in his hands. Johntay Cook II, a top-10 WR recruit in 2023, will take on a bigger role, while five-star freshman Ryan Wingo will get a chance to see the field in full force in his first year.

4.Missouri

Luther Burden III gets the most attention in the discussions surrounding the passing attack on Missouri, and for good reason. He could be the first offensive player off the board in the 2025 NFL Draft. But Missouri goes much deeper than just one name. Former Oklahoma transfer Theo Wease Jr. established himself as a reliable target last season with 682 yards and six touchdowns. Dynamic slot receiver Mookie Cooper and his 939 yards in three seasons are back, while Marquis Johnson is an excellent depth pick.

Tight end Brett Norfleet is another breakout candidate. He initially planned to play both baseball and football, but dropped the former to focus more on the latter. At 6-foot-4, he possesses a huge catch radius and the athleticism to be an elite receiving threat. He has worked hard to improve as a blocker and has received rave reviews from Missouri coaches and players alike, so a big season in a starring role could be in store.

5. Be madam

Lane Kiffin's offenses have captivated national audiences dating back to his days as Alabama's offensive coordinator. With the arsenal of weapons at his disposal, this could be his best unit yet. Tre Harris produced a host of breathtaking plays and emerged as one of quarterback Jaxson Dart's favorite targets in 2023, with 54 catches for 985 yards and eight touchdowns. Louisville transfer Jordan Watkins was an effective running mate with 741 yards and three touchdowns of his own. They have both been there for another year and have built good chemistry with Dart.

To compensate for the loss of Dayton Wade, Ole Miss dove into the portal and secured a commitment from former South Carolina star Antwane Wells Jr. Wells was sidelined for most of the 2023 season with a foot injury, an ailment that lingered into the spring. he's one of the SEC's best when healthy. To top it all off, the 6-foot-4, 255-pound Caden Prieskorn has great body control and moves extremely well for a player his size. He has over 1,000 yards receiving the past two seasons at Memphis and Ole Miss, and he will add to that total this fall.

Honorable mention

• Georgia (Colbie Young, Dominic Lovett, Rara Thomas)
• LSU (Kyren Lacy, Chris Hilton Jr., Mason Taylor)
• Miami (Xavier Restrepo, Jacolby George, Samuel Brown)
• Oklahoma (Nic Anderson, Jalil Farooq, Deion Burks)
• Kansas (Lawrence Arnold, Quentin Skinner, Luke Grimm)