The focus on vertical passing attacks in college football is greater now than it has ever been and that trend towards more pass-heavy attacks will only continue moving forward. College football teams routinely line up three and four-wide receiver sets and the absolute best of those groups can absolutely shred opposing defenses. Here is a look at the four best college football wide receiver cores in the country heading in to 2016.
Clemson Tigers
The scariest part of Clemson’s dynamic offense is that it will have the potential to be even better this season with a healthy Mike Williams back in the fold. Quarterback Deshaun Watson was a Heisman trophy finalist without his No. 1 receiver last season and it’s amazing to think about what he is capable of doing now that Williams is back. The senior wide receiver had 57 catches for 1,030 yards and six touchdowns as a sophomore a couple of years ago and the 6’4’’, 210-pound pass catcher could easily top those numbers this season.
Artavis Scott, Deon Cain and Hunter Renfrow round out an impressive cast with Germone Hopper and Ray-Ray McCloud poised to push for more snaps. Tight end Jordan Leggett has the potential to put up big numbers as the perfect compliment to the vertical passing game and the Tigers’ overall receiving corps clearly has the potential to be one of the best in the country.
Washington State Cougars
Quarterback Luke Falk is expected to throw the ball 60 times per game in head coach Mike Leach’s offense at Washington State. The Cougars certainly have the depth with their wide receiver cores to make it happen. Gabe Marks led Washington State with 104 catches for 1,192 yards and 15 touchdowns as a redshirt freshman last season. He could be a sleeper Heisman Trophy contender if he can build on those numbers in 2016. River Cracraft is consistent as a No. 2 option while Robert Lewis has the potential to be a very good contributor after posting 40-plus receptions in back-to-back years. Kaleb Fossum, Kyrin Priester, Kyle Sweet and three-star early enrollee Isaiah Johnson will all contribute as part of a Washington State receiving core that undoubtedly has the potential to be one of the best in the nation.
Whether the Cougars are good or bad, we’ll find out. However, the one thing we know with this team is they will sling it. Expect a lot of high-scoring affairs for the Cougars, which means their wideouts will collect plenty of stats.
Texas A&M Aggies
The Aggies need a quarterback to emerge but they have a star wide receiver cores that has the potential to be one of the most dangerous groups in the country this season. Christian Kirk had 80 catches for 1,009 yards and seven touchdowns as a true freshman while Josh Reynolds had 51 catches for 907 yards and five scores. Ricky Seals-Jones has the potential to build on back-to-back 45-catch seasons while Speedy Noil is a darkhorse to put up big numbers as an elite athlete. Texas A&M is hoping Oklahoma transfer quarterback Trevor Knight can be the real deal in new offensive coordinator Noel Mazzone’s offense and it certainly helps that he will have such a strong cast around him. Mazzone will have to get creative in order to get everybody involved and capitalize on the Aggies’ biggest offensive strength.
North Carolina
The Tar Heels lost big receiver Quinshad Davis but will still have an excellent return cast led by an elite deep threat in Mack Hollins. With an FBS-best average of 24.8 yards per catch, Hollins had 40 catches for 245 yards and eight touchdowns last season and could be an even bigger factor in the offense now that Davis is gone. Ryan Switzer has recorded at least 55 catches for 687 yards and four touchdowns in each of the last two seasons while Bug Howard has hit the 455-yard receiving mark in back-to-back seasons. North Carolina’s offense will be in a transition period with Mitch Trubisky taking over as the starting quarterback but an outstanding receiver core should help that transition and keep the Tar Heels from missing a beat.
