Oregon ranks among the best receiver rooms in the country
We all know the college football season is going to be one of the most exciting seasons in a long while as the Pac-12 has three legitimate contenders for the College Football Playoff.
All of that has to be because of the quarterback talent that happens to be playing in the conference. USC’s Caleb Williams is the reigning Heisman winner, Oregon’s Bo Nix and even Washington’s Michael Penix, Jr. who showed what he could do with the talent surrounding him.
But those quarterbacks don’t win the game on their own. They aren’t chucking the football down the field to just anyone. Having premier talent to throw to is a huge bonus and the guys in the Pac-12 certainly have great talent down the field.
The analytic site PFF.com has put together the Top 10 receiver rooms in the country. This is where the Pac-12 teams shake out in comparison to others from around the nation. We have included the quarterback for each team and the receivers’ career stats.
Ohio State Buckeyes
Quarterback: Kyle McCord
Emeka Egbuka: 83 catches, 1,342 yards, 10 TD
Marvin Harrison: 88 catches, 1,402 yards, 17 TD
Julian Fleming: 53 catches, 693 yards, 7 TD
Cade Stover (tight end): 41 catches, 482 yards, 5 TD
Analysis: Quarterback Kyle McCord gets his turn at the toy box as he replaces CJ Stroud and gets to throw to the best receivers group in the nation and it’s not even that close. It’s almost not fair. Egbuka and Harrison could legitimately go 1-2 in the next NFL draft.
Texas Longhorns
Quarterback: Quinn Ewers
Xavier Worthy: 122 catches, 1,741 yards, 21 TD
Jordan Whittington: 99 catches, 1,252 yards, 4TD
Adonai Mitchell (Georgia): 38 catches, 560 yards, 7 TD
Ja’Tavion Sanders (tight end): 54 catches, 613 yards 5 TD
Analysis: If it wasn’t for the talent in Columbus, the Longhorn receivers would be the best. Worthy and Whittington set school records for their seasons in 2022 and Mitchell comes from the national champions Bulldogs. Sanders set the Texas single-season record for a tight end in receptions and he’s expected to have another monster year. As long as Ewers remains healthy, the scoreboard will be lighting up in Austin.
Washington Huskies
Quarterback: Michael Penix, Jr.
Rome Odunze: 122 catches, 1,632 yards, 11 TD
Jalen McMillan: 119 catches, 1,584 yards, 12 TD
Ja’Lynn Polk: 74 catches, 1,072 yards, 9 TD
Devin Culp (tight end): 50 catches, 503 yards, 2 TD
Analysis: Oregon fans saw firsthand how good this group can be when there is a competent quarterback behind center. Odunze and McMillan could be the best duo in the country, even better than Ohio State’s duo and if they weren’t at Washington, they would receive more press coverage. But those on the West Coast know how good these two are.
Georgia Bulldogs
Quarterback: Carson Beck
Ladd McConkey: 89 catches, 1,209 yards, 12 TD
Marcus Rosemy-Jacksaint: 40 catches, 493 yards, 3 TD
Rara Thomas (Mississippi State): 62 catches, 878 yards, 12 TD
Oscar Delp (tight end): 5 catches, 61 yards, 1 TD
Analysis: One has to wonder if this group didn’t have Georgia on the jersey if they would still be No. 4 on this list. This group (not the team) is in rebuild mode and they had to fill the gaps with transfers. It’s not easy to replace quarterback Stetson Bennett and the best tight end in the country Brock Bowers. But as usual, the Bulldogs have a bunch of 5-star recruits to take their place.
Florida State Seminoles
Quarterback: Jordan Travis
Keon Coleman (Michigan State): 65 catches, 848 yards, 8 TD
Johnny Wilson: 61 catches, 1,140 yards, 6 TD
Ja’Khi Douglas: 31 catches, 494 catches, 5 TD
Jaheim Bell (tight end, South Carolina): 56 catches, 757 yards, 7 TD
Analysis: The Seminoles have one of the bigger receiver groups out there, led by 6-foot-7 Johnny Wilson. Coleman was a Third-Team All-Big Ten performer and Douglas missed half the season in 2022 due to injuries. Bell is a solid addition from South Carolina. With a senior quarterback in Travis, this group should put up respectable numbers and be tough on opposing ACC defenses.
USC Trojans
Quarterback: Caleb Williams
Tahj Washington: 150 catches, 2,162 yards, 13 TD
Mario Williams: 75 catches, 1,011 yards, 9 TD
Brenden Rice: 66 catches, 1,030 yards, 9 TD
Dorian Singer (Arizona): 84 catches, 1,406 yards, 6 TD
Analysis: USC keeps attracting receivers from other schools and they flourish. Both Williams (Oklahoma) and Rice (Colorado) had monster seasons for the Trojans and now they had arguably the best receiver in the Pac-12 with Singer. This group could have Kermit the Frog tossing to them and be successful. But having a reigning Heisman winner makes USC a College Football Playoff contender.
Oregon Ducks
Quarterback: Bo Nix
Troy Franklin: 79 catches, 1,100 yards, 11 TD
Traeshon Holden (Alabama): 46 catches, 570 yards, 7 TD
Kris Hutson: 79 catches, 928 yards, 2 TD
Terrance Ferguson (tight end): 49 catches, 532 yards, 7 TD
Analysis: 2022 was Troy Franklin’s coming out party as he became a First-Team All-Pac-12 player and with a similar season in 2023, he could be a first-round NFL draft pick. Holden solidified the group when he transferred from Alabama and Hutson is expected to finally come into his own this season and be that possession guy for Nix.
Ferguson suffered an injury in the spring, but assuming he’s back for the season, he could be the best tight end in the conference. If not, Patrick Herbert is more than ready to finally shine.
LSU Tigers
Quarterback: Jayden Daniels
Malik Nabers: 100 catches, 1,432 yards, 7 TD
Brian Thomas: 59 catches, 720 yards, 7 TD
Kyren Lacy: 74 catches, 936 yards, 10 TD
Mason Taylor (tight end): 38 catches, 414 yards, 3 TD
Analysis: Quarterback Jaylen Daniels was incredible at LSU. He wasn’t nearly as good at Arizona State, but he had a lot more talent in Baton Rouge and the same should be said in 2023. Nabers and Thomas are very good and both will be drafted next April. Most of Lacy’s numbers came at Louisiana after a sub-par season at LSU. He should see a more predominant role this year.
Texas A&M Aggies
Quarterback: Conner Weigman
Ainias Smith: 127 catches, 1,612 yards, 17 TD
Evan Stewart: 53 catches, 649 yards, 2 TD
Noah Thomas: 5 catches, 51 yards 2 TD
Donovan Green (tight end): 22 catches, 233 yards, 2 TD
Analysis: The Aggies had a number of receivers enter the transfer portal after last season, which seriously depleted the portion of the roster. Smith is a veteran, who is looking to have a healthy season and Green had a respectable freshman season and should take the next step as a sophomore. By the time this year is over, we might look back on the list and think they probably should have been higher.
Alabama Crimson Tide
Quarterback: Tyler Buchner
Ja’Corey Brooks: 54 catches, 866 yards, 10 TD
Kobe Prentice: 31 catches, 331 yards, 2 TD
Jermaine Burton: 93 catches, 1,578 yards, 15 TD
CJ Dippre (tight end, Maryland): 33 catches, 339 yards, 3 TD
Analysis: It’s odd to see Alabama 10th on a Top 10 list and for Alabama, this would be considered a rebuilding year even though they have some talent most teams would kill for. Brooks and Prentice should take the next step in their development and lead the SEC and although most of Burton’s numbers came at Georgia, he still had a good season with the Crimson Tide with 40 catches and seven touchdowns.
