Athlon Sports ranks Top 10 WR units in college football for 2025

The college football offseason is upon us, and there’s no better time to bust out the preseason magazines and take a look at what’s going on. How about wide receiver rankings?

Athlon Sports put together a ranking of each position unit going into the season to give fans an idea of which groups to watch. Naturally, there were dozens of quality contenders, but who came out on top?

Today, On3 recaps Athlon’s list of the top wide receiver units in college football. The first probably shouldn’t come as any surprise. Let’s dive in.

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1. Ohio State Buckeyes

When you’ve got the country’s best receiver, you’ve got a chance to have the country’s best unit. And Jeremiah Smith certainly qualifies as the former, leading Athlon to tap Ohio State as the latter.

But there’s help to boot. Carnell Tate is a former superstar recruit and Brandon Inniss looks poised for a big year. Given the way Brian Hartline has recruited, seeing others step up would hardly surprise, either.

2. Clemson Tigers

Another team with a ton of returning production, Clemson has its top three targets from a year ago back. Antonio Williams, Bryant Wesco and TJ Moore make up arguably the best trio in the country.

That trio totaled more than 2,200 yards and 21 touchdowns last season. Throw in the likes of Cole Turner and a few others, and the Tigers have a trusty and dangerous group of wide receivers.

3. Alabama Crimson Tide

Alabama had arguably the second-best freshman in the country last year in Ryan Williams. He’s back for another go of things after racking up 865 yards and eight touchdowns receiving. He’s not the only one.

Second-leading receiver Germie Bernard is also back after tallying nearly 800 yards a year ago. Throw in Miami transfer Isaiah Horton and the Crimson Tide have three proven, productive players leading the charge at wide receiver.

4. Auburn Tigers

Cam Coleman was another receiver who was a freshman last year, but was an instant impact player among the country’s best. He’s back for another year with Auburn. And the Tigers have supplemented quite nicely via the transfer portal.

Georgia Tech receiver transfer Eric Singleton is one of the best players in the nation. He has tallied nearly 1,500 yards in the last two seasons with the Yellow Jackets. That’ll be an excellent one-two punch for Hugh Freeze’s bunch.

5. LSU Tigers

Always known for having an excellent group of receivers, LSU has some talent to replace with the late Kyren Lacy gone. But leading receiver Aaron Anderson is back and should help keep some continuity in the group.

Then the Tigers will turn to their transfer portal additions. Nic Anderson is back by way of Oklahoma, having tallied 798 yards and 10 touchdowns in 2023. Then there’s former Kentucky receiver Barion Brown, with more than 1,500 career yards. Both should be in the starting mix at wide receiver.

6. Texas Longhorns

The Longhorns have the first group on the list of Top 10 wide receiver units that isn’t necessarily loaded with returning production and is probably more based on potential. Still, there are some veterans returning in Ryan Wingo and DeAndre Moore (combined for 928 yards and nine touchdowns in 2024).

But it’s the freshman class that is outstanding. Led by five-star prospect Kaliq Lockett, Texas signed four wide receiver recruits ranked among the Top 125 players in the country. That’s a loaded group and it’s a safe bet that at least one or two will emerge as major playmakers.

7. Oregon Ducks

Like Texas, Oregon is a program that lost a ton of talent to the NFL this offseason. Tez Johnson, Traeshon Holden and Evan Stewart are all gone. And the Ducks will rely mostly on homegrown talent to pick up the slack.

That said, the addition of former Alabama and Florida State receiver Malik Benson could be helpful. Meanwhile, five-star-plus freshman Dakorien Moore should make an immediate impact upon arrival. Dan Lanning has recruited well; this year will be his chance to show it.

8. Georgia Bulldogs

Georgia has a decent mix of returning talent vs. departing production. The top two wideouts are gone, but Dillon Bell was the team’s third-leading receiver a year ago and he returns.

The addition of a pair of transfers should help. USC‘s Zachariah Branch is a headliner as an electric playmaker who just hasn’t quite achieved the right level of consistency yet. If he figures it out, he could be one of the nation’s best. Then there’s Texas A&M transfer Noah Thomas, another productive SEC-caliber player.

9. Arizona State Sun Devils

One of the best wide receivers in the country will be suiting up for Arizona State next fall, with Jordyn Tyson returning. Last season, all he did was post 75 catches for 1,101 yards and 10 touchdowns.

The Sun Devils also added Fresno State transfer Jalen Moss, who has accounted for more than 1,250 yards and 10 touchdowns over the past two seasons. Then a pair of young receiver transfers — Noble Johnson from Clemson and Jaren Hamilton from Alabama — could make an impact.

10. Penn State Nittany Lions

Penn State lost some talent from its room a year ago, and the Nittany Lions will be relying on transfers in a major way to fill the gap. That said, Liam Clifford does provide some returning experience to the group.

Still, the trio of Trebor Pena (Syracuse), Devonte Ross (Troy) and Kyron Hudson (USC) will do the bulk of the work in the unit. That group accounted for 2,446 yards and 23 touchdowns last season. It’s an established group of transfers.