This Gator among top 10 SEC wide receivers in 2022
The upcoming college football season will be here sooner than one might believe as the month of July continues to buzz by. While the focus of late has been on the situation developing out west with two schools looking to depart from the Pac-12, over on the east side the fan bases have been looking ahead to the Southeastern Conference’s 2022 campaign.
The Florida Gators have a steep hill to climb ahead to return to respectability, a task that Billy Napier has been entrusted with after a tumultuous end to the Dan Mullen era. However, the new head coach was not left with a completely bare cupboard as the current roster is still rich with talent despite a great deal of turnover this year.
Among those talented players is wide receiver Justin Shorter, a former transfer portal coup who started off with the Penn State Nittany Lions but found his way to Gainesville during the Mullen era. The Gators’ pass-catcher is expected to be one of the best in the conference this fall.
The USA TODAY Sports Network is counting down to SEC media days, scheduled for July 18-21 in Atlanta, by revealing its top players at each position grouping. Take a look below at who it ranked as the 10 best wide receivers in the SEC heading into the 2022 season, with blurbs on each player.
Kayshon Boutte
Gary A. Vasquez-USA TODAY Sports
LSU, junior (154 points, 11 first-place votes)
Boutte is a projected first-round NFL draft pick and already has 14 career touchdown catches despite missing half of last season.
Cedric Tillman
Henry Taylor/The Leaf-Chronicle
Tennessee, senior (145 points, 5 first-place votes)
Tillman’s 1,081 yards receiving and 12 TDs in 2021 leads all returning wide receivers in the SEC.
Jermaine Burton
Dale Zanine-USA TODAY Sports
Alabama, junior (123 points)
A transfer from Georgia, Burton has a chance to thrive in a pass-first offense and triple his 26 receptions and five touchdowns from 2021.
Josh Vann
Jeff Blake-USA TODAY Sports
South Carolina, senior (62 points)
Vann generated some NFL buzz after hauling in 43 passes for 679 yards with five touchdowns in 2021.
Tyler Harrell
Jamie Rhodes-USA TODAY Sports
Alabama, junior (60 points)
The Louisville transfer could help fill the void left by Jameson Williams’ departure with the blazing speed that led to him averaging 29.1 yards per catch in 2021.
Jonathan Mingo
AP Photo/Rogelio V. Solis
Ole Miss, senior (59 points)
Mingo is the lone returning Ole Miss starter at receiver, and before getting injured last year averaged 97 yards and a touchdown per game.
Jadon Haselwood
Brian Bahr/Getty Images
Arkansas, junior (54 points)
The Oklahoma transfer was third on his former team with 399 receiving yards and looks poised to lead Arkansas, which is trying to replace Treylon Burks.
Adonai Mitchell
Carmen Mandato/Getty Images
Georgia, sophomore (51 points)
Mitchell was third on Bulldogs last season with 29 catches for 426 yards and four TDs, including the go-ahead scoring grab in the national championship game.
Justin Shorter
AP Photo/Sam Craft
Florida, senior (41 points)
Formerly a five-star prospect, Shorter is UF’s leading returning receiver from last season with 41 receptions for 550 yards.
Ainias Smith
Maria Lysaker-USA TODAY Sports
Texas A&M, senior (33 points)
Smith led the Aggies in catches (47) and touchdown receptions (6) and is also a threat as a returner.
[listicle id=86978]
[listicle id=87401]
[listicle id=87183]
Follow us @GatorsWire on Twitter and like our page on Facebook to follow ongoing coverage of Florida Gators news, notes and opinions.
Let us know your thoughts and comment on this story below. Join the conversation today!
1
1
1
1
