College football’s 20 best wide receivers of 2026

Wideouts come in all shapes and sizes.

Some can beat you with their speed, while others use their size and footwork as an advantage. The elite ones are naturals at running crisp routes, blocking and gaining yards after the catch . Rather they are snagging balls out the slot or running fade routes over the top, several of these receivers have their own way of stretching the field on opposing defenses.

They all have unique skill sets, are fresh off of very productive seasons and hope to keep the momentum going this fall.

20. Griffin Wilde, Northwestern: The South Dakota native started all 13 games, and led the Wildcats in receptions, receiving yards and touchdown catches last season. Wilde averaged 67.7 receiving yards per game, and made some noise in Big Ten play. He hauled in seven balls for 94 yards and a touchdown in the victory at Penn State. Wilde also had seven catches and a score against UCLA. His 11 receptions for 111 yards against Minnesota were season-highs. The 6-foot-2, 200-pounder even caught a touchdown against Louisiana-Monroe, Purdue and USC. Wilde left a lasting impression with 10 receptions for 97 yards and a season-high, two touchdowns in the bowl win over Central Michigan.

19. Junior Sherrill, Vanderbilt: The former three-star prospect started 12 games, and caught passes from Diego Pavia in 2025. Sherrill tied for first on the Commodores in touchdown catches, and ranked second in receiving yards. He hauled in six passes for 91 yards, and a season-high, three touchdowns in the win over Utah State. Sherrill posted eight catches for 115 yards and a score in the victory over Kentucky. The hometown kid also generated a touchdown reception against Charleston Southern, South Carolina and Auburn. Sherrill left a lasting impression with eight receptions for 123 yards in the bowl game against Iowa. He’ll be the go-to target this fall with no Eli Stowers and Junior Sherrill.

18. Jordan Dwyer, TCU: Last year he started every game of the regular season for the Horned Frogs, and finished second on the team in touchdown receptions. Although Eric McAlister was the go-to target, Dwyer showed he was just as dangerous. He got off to a hot start, with nine catches for 136 yards and a touchdown in the opening victory over North Carolina. Dwyer hauled in seven passes for 111 yards and a score against Baylor. The Washington native posted a season-high, 11 receptions for 108 yards and a touchdown against Iowa State. Not to mention Dwyer generated a season-high, two receiving scores against Cincinnati. Dwyer also had a touchdown catch against Abilene Christian, and Houston.

17. Beau Sparks, Texas State: Although he had no stars behind his name as a high school prospect, the wideout has molded into an elite weapon for the Bobcats. Sparks finished 10th nationally in receptions per game last season. His 1,200 receiving yards ranked fifth in the FBS. Sparks also capped off his stellar campaign with first-team, All-Sun Belt honors. He helped out on punt return duties. Sparks caught seven balls for 82 yards, and a jaw-dropping, four touchdowns against Eastern Michigan. The Texas native posted 10 receptions for  a season-high, 186 yards at Louisiana. Sparks also had 10 catches against Arizona State, and Louisiana-Monroe. He’s arguably the best returning wideout in the Group of Five.

16. Isaiah Horton, Texas A&M: The Tennessee native led Alabama in touchdown receptions last season. Horton uses his 6-foot-4, 208-pound frame to snag balls over defensive backs. He caught five balls for 65 yards, and a touchdown in the win at Georgia. Horton also hauled in five passes, including a touchdown against Wisconsin. The former four-star prospect put together a monster performance in the victory at Auburn, and caught a season-high, three touchdowns. Horton even had a receiving score against Louisiana Monroe, Missouri and Tennessee. With his SEC experience, and catching passes from star gunslinger Marcel Reed, Horton should be able to make an immediate impact with the Aggies.

15. Alex Perry, Illinois: The former three-star prospect started all 13 games for Florida International in 2025, and was a matchup nightmare. After all, Perry stands 6-foot-5, and weighs 210 pounds. He recorded two touchdown receptions at Middle Tennessee. Perry had a season-high, eight catches for 88 yards and a score against Liberty. The Florida native hauled in seven passes, for a season-high, 140 yards and two touchdowns at Sam Houston. Perry generated four receptions for 109 yards and a touchdown against Jacksonville State. Not to mention he posted a receiving score against Missouri State, Delaware, and Florida Atlantic. Perry caught seven touchdowns over the Panthers’ final six games.

14. Tre Richardson, Louisville: The Kansas native established himself as a deep threat for Vanderbilt last season. Richardson was one of Diego Pavia’s favorite targets. He even finished 25th in the FBS in yards per catch. Richardson caught three passes for 124 yards and a touchdown in the win over Auburn. The former three-star prospect also hauled in three balls, and found the endzone at Virginia Tech. Richardson’s six receptions for 159 yards and three touchdowns against Kentucky, were all season-highs. The 5-foot-10, 175-pounder also had six catches and a receiving score in the victory at Tennessee. Richardson showed out in the bowl game against Iowa, with six catches for 127 yards and a touchdown.

13. Easton Messer, Florida Atlantic: The Louisville native is coming off a stellar campaign with the Owls. After all, Messer led the entire FBS in receptions per game. He even ranked 10th nationally in receiving yards per game. On top of that, Messer earned second-team, All-AAC honors. His 15 catches against Maryland tied a single-game, school-record. Messer hauled in a season-high, three touchdown passes against Tulsa. The 5-foot-9, 190-pounder eclipsed the century mark in receiving yards, and caught 11 balls apiece against Rice and Connecticut. Messer had nine catches for a season-high, 133 yards and a score at Tulane. Not to mention he also posted nine receptions for 131 yards against Memphis.

12. Chase Hendricks, California: The former three-star prospect started all 13 games at Ohio last season, and caught 71 balls. Not only did Hendricks put together a 1,000-yard campaign, but he also earned second-team, All-MAC honors. He ranked 21st nationally in receiving yards per game. Hendricks finished 29th in the FBS in receptions per game. The St. Louis native hauled in nine passes for 115 yards at Rutgers. Hendricks posted eight catches for 121 yards and a touchdown against West Virginia. Not to mention he had a 67-yard touchdown reception at Ohio State. Hendricks generated two receiving scores at Eastern Michigan. His 144 receiving yards against Gardner-Webb were a season-high.

11. Wyatt Young, Oklahoma State: The former three-star prospect put together a monster season at North Texas last year. Young’s 1,264 receiving yards was second-best in a single-season for the Mean Green. He ranked eighth in the FBS in receiving yards per game. Young finished 17th nationally in yards per reception. Not to mention he capped off his stellar campaign with first-team, All-AAC honors. Young caught two touchdowns against Lamar. He even scored two touchdowns, and had 295 receiving yards at Rice, which were second-best in a single-game for North Texas. His three receiving scores against UTSA were season-highs. Young also generated a touchdown reception against UAB, Charlotte and Army.

10. Jackson Harris, LSU: The Californian started nine games for Hawaii in 2025, and had a ton of production. Harris tied for sixth in the FBS in touchdown receptions. He even averaged 19.65 yards per catch, which ranked eighth nationally. Harris even finished 11th in the country in receiving yards per game. The former three-star prospect had 39 catches for 866 yards and 11 touchdowns over the Rainbow Warriors’ final seven contests. For his heroics, Harries capped off his stellar campaign with first-team, All-Mountain West honors. The 6-foot-2, 202-pounder caught three touchdowns against San Diego State. Harris posted two receiving scores apiece against Colorado State, Air Force and San Jose State.

9. Omarion Miller, Arizona State: The Louisiana native started eight games for Colorado last season, and gained valuable Big 12 experience. Miller led the Buffaloes in receptions, receiving yards and touchdown catches. He established himself as a dangerous deep threat, and ranked 18th in the FBS in yards per reception. Miller capped off the year with second-team, All-Big 12 honors for his heroics. The former four-star prospect had two touchdown catches apiece against Arizona and TCU. Miller posted six catches for 131 yards and a touchdown at West Virginia. The 6-foot-2, 210-pounder also generated a receiving score against Wyoming, Iowa State and Arizona State. His eight catches at Kansas State were a season-high.

8. Danny Scudero, Colorado: The former three-star prospect racked up video game numbers at San Jose State last season. Scudero averaged 108.1 receiving yards per game, which was the best in the FBS. He even tied for fourth nationally in receptions per game. Scudero capped off his spectacular campaign with first-team, All-Mountain West, and second-team, AP All-America honors. The California native set a single-game, school-record with four touchdown catches at Wyoming. Scudero posted 11 catches for 135 yards and two touchdowns against Stanford. The 5-foot-9, 175-pounder also had two receiving scores in the win over Hawaii. Scudero generated a season-high, 12 catches against San Diego State.

7. Ryan Wingo, Texas: The former five-star prospect started 11 games for the Longhorns last season, and showed tremendous promise. After all, Wingo led Texas in receptions, receiving yards and touchdowns catches. He generated a season-high, nine catches for 62 yards and a touchdown at Georgia. Wingo posted five receptions, for a season-high, 184 yards at Mississippi State. The 6-foot-2, 211-pounder hauled in two touchdown passes in the win over Sam Houston. Wingo also recorded a receiving score against UTEP, Florida, Vanderbilt and Texas A&M. The St. Louis native will likely be Arch Manning’s go-to target again, so fans should expect even more production from Wingo this fall.

6. Isaiah Sategna, Oklahoma: The Texas native started all 13 games for the Sooners last season, and was a deadly weapon with the ball in his hands. Sategna also handled return duties very well with his explosiveness. He averaged 74.2 receiving yards per game, which ranked fourth in the SEC. Sategena even earned first-team, AP All-SEC honors for his heroics. The former four-star prospect caught a season-high, nine balls for 127 yards and a touchdown in the win over Auburn. Sategna had two receiving scores against Kent State. The 5-foot-10, 185-pounder posted six catches for 131 yards and a touchdown against Ole Miss. Sategna also caught a touchdown against Missouri, South Carolina and Alabama.

5. Amare Thomas, Houston: The former three-star prospect finished strong down the stretch last season. Thomas tied for sixth in the FBS in touchdown catches, and averaged 74.3 receiving yards per game. He earned first-team, All-Big 12, and took care of business in the classroom with Academic All-Big 12 honors. Thomas had seven catches for 157 yards at Oklahoma State. Not to mention he posted 104 receiving yards at Oregon State. His 10 receptions, and three touchdowns against West Virginia were season-highs. Thomas hauled in two touchdown passes apiece against Arizona, and LSU. The Alabama native recorded a jaw-dropping, 10 touchdown receptions over the Cougars’ final seven games.

4. Duce Robinson, Florida State: The former five-star prospect lit up the ACC last season. Robinson led the league, and finished ninth in the FBS in receiving yards per game. He also ranked ninth nationally in yards per catch. Not to mention Robinson earned first-team, All-ACC honors. The 6-foot-6, 230-pounder eclipsed the century mark in receiving yards in four ACC contests. Robinson caught nine passes for 124 yards at Clemson. The Arizona native also had nine catches for a 147 yards and a touchdown at Virginia. His 173 receiving yards, and two touchdown catches against East Texas A&M were season-highs. Robinson even recorded receiving scores against Virginia Tech, Wake Forest and NC State.

3. KJ Duff, Rutgers: The New York native set the Big Ten on fire last season. Duff ranked second in the the conference, and seventh in the FBS in receiving yards per game. He also finished second in the league, and 16th nationally in yards per reception. Duff knows how to use his 6-foot-6, 225-pound frame to his advantage. The former three-star prospect capped off the year with second-team, All-Big Ten honors. Duff had six catches for 119 yards against Norfolk State. His 241 receiving yards at Purdue were the second-most in a single-game in school history. Duff tallied 127 receiving yards and a score against Penn State. Not to mention he caught a touchdown against Miami (Ohio), Illinois, Washington and Minnesota.

2. Malachai Toney, Miami: He’s arguably College Football’s most explosive player since Florida’s Percy Harvin. After all, Toney is a dynamite weapon, and can score from anywhere on the field. The former three-star prospect had his coming out party in the Playoffs, and throughout the Hurricanes’ run to the National Championship Game. Toney ranked seventh in the FBS in receptions per game as a true freshman. The Florida native was named the ACC’s Rookie of the Year for his heroics on the gridiron. Toney even earned first-team, All-ACC, and second-team, AP All-America honors. His 13 catches at Pitt were a season-high. Toney’s 146 receiving yards in the win over Virginia Tech were also a season-high.

1. Jeremiah Smith, Ohio State: The former five-star prospected has dominated the sport over the past two seasons, with 163 receptions, 2,558 receiving yards and 27 touchdown catches during that span. Smith is a two-time, Big Ten Wide Receiver of the Year. He led the conference, and finished fourth nationally in receiving yards in 2025. Smith had seven touchdown catches through the Buckeyes’ first six games. The 6-foot-3, 223-pounder caught at least one touchdown in 10 of Ohio State’s 14 contests. The Miami native is a matchup nightmare, who often requires two defenders out in coverage. Smith earned first-team, AP All-America honors, and would’ve been a top-three pick in this year’s NFL Draft, if he was eligible.

Honorable Mention

Tre Spivey, Arizona: He’s hard to contain for defensive backs with his 6-foot-4 frame. Spivey caught seven touchdowns last season, including a 70-yarder at Houston. He had two touchdown catches against Oklahoma State. Spivey also posted a receiving score against Weber State, Iowa State, Colorado and SMU.

Jacory Barney, Nebraska: He ranked second on the Huskers in receptions, and receiving yards last season. Barney even tied for first on the team in touchdown catches. His explosiveness also makes him a special teams demon. Barney will be used in a variety of ways in Nebraska’s offense because of his versatility.

Dezmen Roebuck, Washington: The former three-star prospect started 10 games last season. Roebuck caught two touchdowns against Illinois. He also recorded a touchdown reception against UC Davis, Maryland, Purdue, UCLA and Boise State. His 108 receiving yards against Rutgers were a season-high.

Charlie Becker, Indiana: Although he missed four games last season, the Tennessee native finished third on the National Champs in receiving yards. Becker went over the century mark in receiving yards against Penn State, Wisconsin and Ohio State. The 6-foot-4, 207-pounder will be the Hoosiers’ go-to receiver this fall.