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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
