Using receiving yards and touchdowns has become an outdated way to evaluate wide receivers. With advances in metrics and the availability of film, there are more methods now than ever to understand how the best pass catchers impact the game.
Here, we examine the top 25 college football wide receivers heading into the 2025 campaign based on their career yards per route run.
25) Junior Vandeross III, Toledo
While former teammate Jerjuan Newton receives a lot of national attention, Junior Vandeross III has been quietly one of the top college football wide receivers at the Group of Five level in recent years.
He heads into 2025 off the back of the most productive season of his career, snagging 85 of 117 targets (72.6% reception rate) for 957 receiving yards and five touchdowns for the Toledo Rockets.
Vandeross has tallied 1,639 receiving yards across his three seasons as a contributor for the MAC outfit after being targeted 190 times on 699 routes run. His 2.34 career yards per route run sees him sneak into the top 25 college football wide receivers by that metric, nosing out some more well-known pass catchers such as DT Sheffield and O’Mega Blake.
24) Bryant Wesco Jr., Clemson
Bryant Wesco Jr. made an immediate impact for the Clemson Tigers as a true freshman in 2024, putting his 6’2″ height and catch radius to good use as a dangerous target for Cade Klubnik. Wesco turned 74 targets into 41 receptions, 708 receiving yards, and five touchdowns in his debut campaign, while averaging 2.35 yards per route run.
Amari Rodgers is the only Clemson wide receiver since 2020 to have run over 250 routes and average more yards per route run than Wesco accomplished as a true freshman. With the Tigers returning a ton of talent on both sides of the ball and primed for a College Football Playoff run, the sophomore stud should become a household name this fall.
23) Jacob De Jesus, California
While UNLV lost their big-name pass catcher to the NFL, another highly talented playmaker slipped out of Las Vegas with Jacob De Jesus entering the transfer portal and signing with the California Golden Bears this season. De Jesus is well known for his special-teams playmaking as a return man, but he’s also a devastating weapon in the passing game.
The former Rebel averaged 2.35 yards per route run over the past two seasons, somewhat benefiting from UNLV’s ‘GoGo’ offense under coordinator Brennan Marion (113 of his 475 routes have been go routes). However, he’s also a reliable target (73.3% reception rate) who has translated split opportunities into 1,118 career receiving yards and five scores.
22) Eric Singelton Jr., Auburn
The Auburn Tigers already had a talented receiver room from the 2024 campaign. Still, they doubled down on weaponry for new quarterback Jackson Arnold by acquiring former Georgia Tech WR Eric Singleton Jr. from the portal. A genuine speedster with eye-popping explosion, the new Tiger has tallied over 700 yards in each of his two college campaigns.
Singleton has also averaged 2.37 yards per route run, landing him among the top 25 college football wide receivers in the metric heading into the 2025 campaign. He was targeted 174 times (59.8% reception rate) on 620 routes during his time with Georgia Tech, averaging 14.1 yards per reception while scoring nine touchdowns.
21) Kobe Prentice, Baylor
Kobe Prentice was a highly regarded recruit in the 2022 class and looked like he would make a significant impact for the Alabama Crimson Tide after earning starting snaps early as a freshman. However, it never really turned out that way in Tuscaloosa.
He had just 60 receptions, 780 receiving yards, and five touchdowns across three seasons, with career lows in the 2024 campaign. Prentice hopped into the portal and landed with the Baylor Bears for the 2025 campaign, looking to kickstart his college career.
A dangerous deep threat who is adept at using his agility to force missed tackles and shake off attention, he’s converted 71.4% of his 84 career targets while his 2.39 yards per route run is a top 25 mark among college football wide receivers returning in 2025.
20) Jayce Brown, Kansas State
We’ll get an early look at the Kansas State Wildcats in 2025 as they head to Dublin, Ireland, in Week 0. Their passing offense should run primarily through Jayce Brown.
He led the program in almost every conceivable receiving metric in his 2024 sophomore season and heads into his third campaign with 1,260 receiving yards and eight TDs with 17.0 yards per catch.
A 6’0″, 179-pound pass catcher with scary change of direction ability and the speed to whip the top off a defense, Brown’s skill set has resulted in a high volume of go routes (23.3% of 528 routes run) on his resume, and he’s parlayed that into 2.39 yards per route run during his two-year career, more than any other Kansas State wide receiver since 2020.
19) Jordan Faison, Notre Dame
The Notre Dame Fighting Irish will likely turn to freshman quarterback C.J. Carr to run their offense this fall, but the young quarterback has exciting options at the wide receiver position.
Jaden Greathouse receives a lot of national attention, and rightly so, but multi-sport standout Jordan Faison is a legitimate threat as a pass catcher too, entering 2025 as a top 25 college football wide receiver in yards per route run.
Faison has averaged 2.40 yards per route run during his two seasons in South Bend, feasting on hitch routes and using his ankle-breaking agility, acceleration, and top speed to add yardage after the catch.
He’s looking to build on a resume that is light on standard measurements, such as receptions (49) or receiving yards (678), but is brimming with potential as he focuses more on football this fall.
18) Trent Walker, Oregon State
A former walk-on for Oregon State, Trent Walker took some time to emerge as a star for the Pac-12 outfit, barely seeing any action across his first two years. However, he’s fresh off a breakout year for OSU, snagging 81 receptions for 901 yards and two touchdowns (the first of his career). He’s reeled in 69.9% of his targets over the past two seasons.
The Oregon State pass catcher should be the go-to target in the Beavers’ offense for transfer quarterback Maalik Murphy. He’s averaged 2.41 yards per route run, with a high percentage (40.1%) of his total usage coming on hitch and go routes to utilize his speed, agility, and stop-start route-running capability.
17) Chris Hilton Jr., LSU
If you’re looking for a true breakout receiver in the 2025 college football campaign, you likely don’t need to look too far beyond Baton Rouge and fifty-year pass catcher Chris Hilton Jr.
At a program where elite wide receivers are as common as gumbo on the dinner table, Hilton has had to wait his turn patiently and put up relatively mediocre standard statistics, but there’s underlying potential for a big year.
In 26 games, Hilton has just 31 receptions for 658 yards. However, he’s also averaged 21.2 yards per reception and logged a career-high three touchdowns in 2024.
Furthermore, the Tigers’ talent has averaged 2.45 yards per route run, a mark bettered by only one LSU pass catcher since 2020 (Malik Nabers) and one that ranks among the top 25 college football wide receivers returning in 2025.
16) Squirrel White, Florida State
Florida State looks to recover from a difficult 2024 by loading up on pass-catching talent from the portal. Two of their offseason acquisitions rank among the top 25 college football wide receivers in yards per route run, showcasing the desire to support new quarterback Tommy Castellanos with players who can make big plays for Gus Malzahn’s offense.
First up is former Tennessee Vol Squirrel White, who has averaged 2.48 yards per route run in his career. Sandwiched between two sub-500-yard campaigns is an 803-yard season that showcased how dangerous the new FSU receiver can be. While go-routes lead his contributions, he’s excelled on receiver screens, accounting for 16.6% of his total routes (668).
15) Corey Rucker, Arkansas State
Corey Rucker is a seasoned veteran who will use his final year of eligibility in 2025 to bring to an end a six-year college football experience. He’s also one of the most underrated college football wide receivers and has averaged 17.1 yards per catch for 3,089 total career yards and 24 touchdowns, turning 75.7% of his receptions into a first down or touchdown.
Rucker returns in 2025 as a reliable target for Arkansas State Red Wolves quarterback Jaylen Raynor, having only coughed up a fumble once in over 180 receptions. He’s also averaged 2.49 yards per route run, no mean feat considering he’s run 1240 routes across the course of his five years with the Red Wolves and South Carolina Gamecocks.
14) Omar Cooper Jr., Indiana
The Indiana Hoosiers have multiple players within the top 25 college football wide receivers by yards per route run, with Omar Cooper Jr. first up to represent the program.
While he quietly registered the fourth-most receptions for the program in 2024, he led the Big Ten in yards per reception (21.2) last fall, finishing second on the team with 394 receiving yards and seven receiving touchdowns.
The 6’0″, 201-pound Indiana wide receiver is dangerous at any level of the field due to his incredible body control and contested-catch ability. As a result, he translated 89.3% of his catches into either a first down or touchdown last fall, and has averaged 2.50 yards per route run across his career.
13) Duce Robinson, Florida State
Once the prized possession of the USC Trojans’ 2023 recruiting class, Duce Robinson departs the program after logging just 23 receptions for 747 yards and seven touchdowns.
However, those eager surface-level numbers don’t quite tell the tale of why Florida State fans should be excited over adding the 6’6″, 220-pound former high school tight end to their receiver room for the upcoming campaign.
Robinson is an electric athlete who screams big-play threat. He averaged 21.9 yards per reception as a true freshman in the Pac-12 and turned 82.6% of his receptions into a first down or touchdown last fall in the Big Ten. He’s averaged 2.50 yards per route run in two seasons and will make a dangerous deep threat on go routes in Malzahn’s ‘Noles offense.
12) Nic Anderson, LSU
LSU already placed one standout playmaking threat on this list of college football wide receivers, but they added another from the transfer portal this offseason to ensure Garrett Nussmeier has an embarrassment of riches at his disposal.
Nic Anderson missed almost all last season with an injury at Oklahoma, but he’s just one year removed from an exciting campaign that sets expectations for 2025. Despite measuring in at a reported 6’4″ and 219 pounds, Anderson has enticing top-end straight-line speed and fluidity of movement you’d expect from a smaller pass catcher.
He averaged a ludicrous 21.0 yards per reception on his way to 798 yards and 10 touchdowns in 2023, and has averaged 2.51 yards per route run in three seasons with the Sooners. A fully healthy Anderson is a terrifying prospect.
11) Jared Brown, South Carolina
Not only does Jared Brown rank among the top 25 college football wide receivers returning in 2025, but he’s also in the top 100 since 2020 after averaging 2.55 yards per route run. He did most of that damage playing for the Coastal Carolina Chanticleers from 2021 to 2023, where he racked up 1,534 receiving yards and 11 TDs while averaging 14.2 YPR.
However, he transferred to South Carolina for 2024, and despite not putting up awe-inspiring baseline numbers, he still tallied 2.18 YPRR. Meanwhile, he averaged 16.3 yards per reception in the SEC last fall, setting a career high. A playmaker with game-changing potential, he could be a key target for QB LaNorris Sellers and a Gamecocks offense primed for an exciting year.
10) Hudson Clement, Illinois
The Illinois Fighting Illini lost Pat Bryant to the NFL Draft this offseason, but very quickly snagged a deep play threat to fill his shoes as the WR1 in the Luke Altmyer-led offense. Bryant averaged 2.31 yards per route run with a high concentration of hitch (16.2% of total routes) and go (21.3%) routes during his career.
Newcomer Hudson Clement has averaged 2.6 yards per route run on a similar route tree. The former West Virginia pass catcher was an ascending talent, but opted to hit the transfer portal after tallying 1,221 yards at 16.7 yards per catch and nine TDs in two seasons. His ball-tracking, catch-point adjustment, and crafty route running are all exceptional.
9) Ryan Williams, Alabama
Ryan Williams challenged preconceptions about what 17-year-old pass catchers could accomplish in the SEC as he took the college football world by storm with an eye-popping display that saw him lead all freshman wide receivers in the conference with 865 yards and eight touchdowns.
Arguably, the best element of a difficult season for the Alabama Crimson Tide, Williams was an unstoppable force. His incredible agility and after-the-catch ability ensured that he averaged 2.69 yards per route run and 18.02 yards per catch in his debut campaign, with an 84-yard long play one of many highlights.
While both DeVonta Smith and Jameson Williams rank higher in the pantheon of Alabama receivers since 2020, it’s worth noting that their best performances came in their final years of their careers. The best may still be yet to come.
8) Eric Rivers, Georgia Tech
Georgia Tech may have lost Singleton to the portal, but the program replaced him with one of the most productive returning receivers in college football. Eric Rivers averaged 97.7 yards per game for FIU last fall, scoring 12 TDs and notching a 136.5 receiving EPA. He has also averaged 2.85 yards per route run during his time ripping up C-USA defenses.
While the step from CUSA to the ACC is perhaps significant, Rivers has the talent to continue his dominant ways. His production is founded on an elite release package, while he routinely adds value after the catch. 77.4% of his receptions resulted in a touchdown or first down last fall, something that is likely to make returning QB Haynes King very happy.
7) Chrishon McCray, Michigan State
The Kent State Golden Flashes have just one win in two seasons. Yet, they have had one of the most exciting playmakers on their roster in both years, his talents hidden by deplorable quarterback play and questionable coaching.
However, in 2025, Chrishon McCray is poised to earn his respect as one of the top 25 college football wide receivers as he transfers to the Michigan State Spartans. McCray has averaged 2.92 yards per route run in three seasons with the MAC outfit, averaging 16.2 yards per catch in 21 games.
A big-play threat with great vertical speed and the ability to fight through contact at the catch point, the new Spartan claims his “route running has improved tremendously” since arriving in Lansing, which is a terrifying thought for anyone tasked with covering him this fall.
6) Makai Lemon, USC
Quarterback inconsistencies last fall contributed to a disappointing 7-6 overall record for the USC Trojans in 2024. Furthermore, those issues masked the talents of a truly exciting wide receiver room. Ja’Kobi Lane has received a lot of attention, but Makai Lemon has the potential to be one of the top receivers this season after leading the team with 764 yards.
Lemon has averaged a 77.3% reception rate while registering 14.7 yards per catch during his two seasons with the Trojans. While averaging 2.94 yards per route run for his career, he set a career-high of 3.09 in 2024. Unlike most receivers on this list who feast on go-routes, Lemon’s highest concentration of routes was on crossing routes, putting his after-the-catch ability to maximum use.
5) Elijah Sarratt, Indiana
Elijah Sarratt has been the poster boy for flourishing wherever you play your football. An FCS standout in 2022 for St. Francis (PA), he transitioned seamlessly to the FBS with the James Madison Dukes, where he tallied 1,191 yards with eight touchdowns and an 82.8% reception rate.
Making the step up to the Big Ten in 2024, he averaged 18.1 yards per catch for 957 yards and eight scores. At 6’2″ and 209 pounds, Sarratt has the size to win against almost any defensive back at the catch point, and he catches almost everything thrown at him.
However, he’s an underrated athlete with exceptional route-running nuance who has averaged 2.99 yards per route run across his two FBS seasons. It would be a surprise not to see another 1,000-yard campaign in the 2025 season.
4) Jordyn Tyson, Arizona State
A collarbone injury sustained in the regular season finale deprived the Arizona State Sun Devils of one of their greatest playmakers to end the 2024 season. Still, it appears like Jordyn Tyson will be fully healthy by the spring and ready to dominate as one of the best receivers in the country by the start of the 2025 campaign.
He finished the year with three consecutive 100-plus yard games as part of a 1,101-yard campaign, showcasing his reliable hands and unbelievable body control throughout the year. He snagged 66.4% of his targets and turned 68% of those receptions into first downs or touchdowns.
A supreme route-runner, he has averaged 3.05 yards per route run across his career, with a career-high of 3.19 last fall.
3) Eric McAlister, TCU
Eric McAlister might well be one of the most underrated wide receivers playing in college football right now. While that might seem hyperbolic, the former Boise State Bronco turned TCU Horned Frog has been a consistent menace to defensive backs for the past three seasons.
Not only is he one of just four pass catchers playing in 2025 with a career average of more than 3.0 yards per route run, but he’s surpassed the three-yard mark in each of the last three seasons.
In his first two seasons with Boise State, McAlister averaged 3.98 and 3.13 yards per route run, following up with 3.01 yards per route run in the first year of his relationship with Josh Hoover. He’s also translated a ludicrous 84.5% of his 97 receptions into either a first down or a touchdown during his career, while averaging 19.5 yards per catch.
2) Isaiah Alston, James Madison
Since transitioning to the FBS, James Madison has had some of the most productive wide receivers in college football come through its doors, and it welcomes another exciting talent for the 2025 season.
Isaiah Alston made his name with the Army Black Knights before spending a season with the Big 12 runner-up Iowa State Cyclones last fall. He only had two receptions there, but he should see a lot more for the Dukes.
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A 6’4″, 205-pound pass catcher with deceptive speed, Alston has never averaged less than 16.8 yards per catch in a single season during his career, averaging 21.2 yards per catch across his four-year career.
After running 69 routes but only seeing seven targets for Iowa State, he carries a career average of 3.2 yards per route run. However, he has single seasons with 5.35 and 4.16 yards per route run.
1) Jeremiah Smith, Ohio State
Jeremiah Smith looked like a man amongst boys during the 2024 college football season, a remarkable feat as a true freshman, establishing himself in an Ohio State Buckeyes wide receiver room that is consistently the best in the country. Smith earned Freshman All-American and Third-Team All-American honors from CSN.
That Smith finished the season with the fourth-most receiving yards (1,315) and second-most receiving TDs (15) in the country is a testament to his talent as the best player returning to college football. No player in the country had more than 50-plus receiving yard plays last fall, despite attempts to try and shut him down by any means possible.
No one really comes close to matching his 3.30 yards per route run from the 2024 college football campaign. Similar results should be expected as Smith returns as the go-to weapon for a young quarterback in the 2025 season.
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