As featured on the College Sports Network Top 100 Returning Players to college football this season, the list is dominated at the top by Ohio State Buckeyes, specifically WR Jeremiah Smith. Ranked as the top returning player in all the land, who follows in line behind Smith and Ryan Williams?
16) Ted Hurst, WR, Georgia State
National Rank: 92
Ted Hurst had a brief dalliance with the transfer portal this offseason but instead opted to return to a Georgia State Panthers side that should be on an upward trajectory under Dell McGee.
The former Valdosta State wide receiver averaged an astounding 17.2 yards per catch in his first FBS season, tallying 961 yards and nine touchdowns. Hurst has the size and catch radius to dominate in contested catch situations while possessing body control and some nice agility to make moves after the catch.
15) Corey Rucker, WR, Arkansas State
National Rank: 91
A sixth-year senior who has spent all but one season with the Arkansas State Red Wolves, Corey Rucker is one of the best big-play threats in all of college football.
If it weren’t for injury, he would have been able to showcase that in the SEC with the South Carolina Gamecocks in 2022, but instead, he’s made a living off the souls of Group of Five defenses. Rucker has never averaged less than 14.0 yards per catch during his career and enters 2025 off the back of his first 1,000-yard campaign.
14) Nyck Harbor, WR, South Carolina
National Rank: 88
You won’t be blown away by Nyck Harbor’s stats accrued over his first two seasons, but the South Carolina Gamecocks young star wide receiver spent much of that time learning the position and honing his skill set.
Last season, we saw flashes of what that might look like as he led the WR room in the second half of the season, and in 2025, I fully expect Harbor to be unleashed as a bona fide weapon. His ludicrous athletic profile, with his 6’5” and 10.32 100m speed, could prove unstoppable.
13) DT Sheffield, WR, Rutgers
National Rank: 79
After one season dominating the Group of Five level with the North Texas Mean Green, DT Sheffield will take his talents to the Big Ten with the Rutgers Scarlet Knights. Those talents are considerable.
Only three pass catchers returning to college football in 2025 had more than Sheffield’s 11 receiving touchdowns, while he earned a CSN All-American honorable mention for his 1,192 all-purpose yards, using his lightning speed and agility to make defenders miss wherever he got the ball last fall.
12) Evan Stewart, WR, Oregon
National Rank: 73
Evan Stewart was a significant addition for the Oregon Ducks out of Texas A&M a year ago. Still, it is in 2025, with Tez Johnson headed to the NFL, where his impact is likely to be made and his place among the top wide receivers in college football secured. He has the throttle control and long speed to put defensive backs in a bind.
While he’s not the biggest pass catcher, he won’t dodge contested catch situations or crumple easily under initial contact, showcasing the ability to extend plays.
11) Zachariah Branch, WR, Georgia
National Rank: 68
After establishing himself as one of the most explosive return men in college football in 2023, much was expected of Zachariah Branch as a pass catcher for the USC Trojans last fall. While he had a career year in terms of yards (503), the program’s worst offense under Lincoln Riley didn’t help showcase his talent.
He transfers to the Georgia Bulldogs for 2025, where he should emerge as a pivotal part of their offense (in the Arian Smith role) with his explosive speed, physics-defying agility, and body control.
10) Cam Coleman, WR, Auburn
National Rank: 61
The 2024 Auburn Tigers quarterback situation was suboptimal, but that didn’t prevent Cam Coleman from showcasing his talents as one of the top wide receivers in the country.
After snagging 598 yards at an impressive 16.2 yards per catch with eight touchdowns, Coleman earned CSN Freshman All-American honors in 2024 and should benefit from what looks like an improved Tigers QB room this fall. With incredible agility in a 6’3”, 200-pound frame, he can (and did) embarrass even the best defenses.
9) Kevin Concepcion, WR, Texas A&M
National Rank: 58
A CSN Freshman All-American in 2023, Kevin Concepcion had something of a down year as part of a relatively anemic NC State Wolfpack offense last fall.
However, his transfer to the Texas A&M Aggies should reignite one of the most talented and versatile pass catchers in all of college football. An electric playmaker with the ball in his hands, Concepcion’s slippery agility and explosion allow him to easily contribute after the catch and as a ball carrier out of the backfield.
8) Jaden Greathouse, WR, Notre Dame
National Rank: 54
Jaden Greathouse hasn’t been a statistical standout by any stretch of the imagination during his two seasons in South Bend, but that’s a product of the system rather than his skill set.
The true junior receiver showcased during the Notre Dame Fighting Irish run to the College Football Playoff National Championship Game that he has the ability to contest at the catch point and the agility, suddenness, and speed to add value after the catch. It’s unclear what the offense will look like this fall, but it should be tailored to Greathouse.
7) Devonte Ross, WR, Penn State
National Rank: 49
Former Troy Trojan Devonte Ross was one of the most productive wide receivers at the Group of Five level last season, logging 1,043 yards (20th in the FBS) while snagging 11 touchdowns.
Detractors will point to 229 yards and three touchdowns against FCS opposition as a stat-filler, but he also tore up the Iowa Hawkeyes to the tune of 142 yards and two scores. His speed will significantly affect the Penn State Nittany Lions offense.
6) O’Mega Blake, WR, Arkansas
National Rank: 43
O’Mega Blake just spent a year with the Charlotte 49ers dominating AAC competition, but he’s returning to the SEC spotlight after a year away honing his craft. The former South Carolina Gamecock receiver transferred to the Arkansas Razorbacks after snagging 795 yards and nine touchdowns. The headline number to know is 24.84.
That’s his yards per catch from last fall, more than any returning college football receiver in 2025. He’s dominant at the catch point and set to prove himself this year.
5) Elijah Sarratt, WR, Indiana
National Rank: 30
Elijah Sarratt returns to the Indiana Hoosiers for the 2025 season, marking the first time in his college football career that he’s played for the same program in successive seasons. He’s adapted effortlessly at every turn on that journey, moving up from non-FBS to Group of Five to the Power Four and impressing accordingly.
He’s averaged over 1,000 yards and eight scores over the last two seasons, and a career year as the go-to guy for new quarterback Fernando Mendoza shouldn’t be a surprise.
4) Eric Rivers, WR, Georgia Tech
National Rank: 24
The Georgia Tech Yellow Jackets lost some receiving talent to the transfer portal but landed one of the top playmakers in the country in Eric Rivers.
The former FIU Golden Panther wins with an incredible release package, adds value after the catch, and is one of the most productive returning receivers in college football (97.7 yards per game, 12 touchdowns, 136.5 EPA), giving Haynes King an elite target.
3) Jordyn Tyson, WR, Arizona State
National Rank: 13
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+ yard games, showcasing his reliable hands and unbelievable body control throughout the year.
2) Ryan Williams, WR, Alabama
National Rank: 5
Did you know that Ryan Williams was 17 last season?! It became a standing joke (and I’m fairly sure a challenge among commentary teams) to discuss the Alabama Crimson Tide wide receiver’s young age last season. Still, the fact that he produced one of the most mesmerizing freshman-receiving campaigns in program history at such a tender age was truly impressive.
MORE: Ryan Williams’ New NIL Deal Turns Heads
Williams’ feats last fall were a highlight in a season that didn’t live up to Crimson Tide expectations as a whole. Quarterback play was inconsistent, and the ground game was far from Alabama-esque, but the young receiver grabbed the team by the horns with some eye-opening performances.
He led all freshman wide receivers in the SEC with 865 yards, 18.02 yards per catch, and eight touchdowns with his incredible agility and after-the-catch ability.
1) Jeremiah Smith, WR, Ohio State
National Rank: 1
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.
KEEP READING: Jeremiah Smith’s NIL Valuation
That Smith finished the season with the fourth-most receiving yards (1,315) and second-most receiving touchdowns (15) in the country is a testament to his talent as the very best player returning to college football in 2025. No player in the country had more than 50+ receiving yard plays last fall, despite attempts to try and shut him down by any means possible.
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