Top 25 wide receiver rankings entering Week 7 of college football

As we’ve officially hit the midway point of the 2023 season, we have a lengthy body of work to pick from when building our top 25 wide receiver rankings for this week. The list includes several new faces this week after standout performances.

At the top end of the range, Marvin Harrison Jr. defended his spot by posting his best numbers to date.

But there were plenty of players who checked in from No. 11 to No. 25 in our ranking who were completely new. Let’s find out who made the cut inside as we dig into our top 25 wide receiver rankings entering Week 7 of college football.

1. Marvin Harrison Jr., Ohio State

Harrison has been a little inconsistent in terms of production this season, prone to a quiet game or two as opposing defenses have looked to shut him down. He was not quiet this weekend in a win over Maryland.

The Ohio State standout went off for 163 yards and a touchdown against the Terrapins, his best yardage total of the season. That brought his yearly totals to 25 catches for 499 yards and four touchdowns. While not the best statistically among the wideouts, it’s more than enough production to back the eye test, which is immensely favorable for Harrison.

2. Malik Nabers, LSU

The star LSU receiver continues to put up big numbers. With a strong showing in a shootout win over Missouri, Nabers nabbed his fourth straight game with at least 100 yards receiving, while catching another touchdown pass.

He’s among the most statistically productive wide receivers out there, having tallied 46 catches for 771 yards and six touchdowns already this season. Nabers even got his first carry out of the backfield against the Tigers last week.

3. Rome Odunze, Washington

While Nabers piled up his fourth straight game with at least 100 yards receiving, Odunze saw a four-game streak above the 100-yard mark snapped in his last bit of action. The Huskies were on bye this weekend, precluding Odunze from putting up new numbers.

On the season Odunze has topped the 100-yard mark in four of five games, while he has caught at least five passes in every contest. He’s sitting near the top of the wide receiver rankings in part because of his production — 32 catches for 608 yards and four touchdowns — and in part due to the eye test. He makes life much, much easier on his quarterback.

4. Luther Burden III, Missouri

Burden continues to steadily work his way up this list, piling productive outing on top of productive outing. He’s now had five straight games with at least 100 receiving yards, while going three straight games with double-digit catches.

Few teams have figured out how to stop Burden so far, and he’s now faced two ranked opponents and put up big numbers against both. On the season, Burden has recorded an impressive 54 catches for 793 yards and five touchdowns.

5. Xavier Legette, South Carolina

Legette was held in check in a loss to Tennessee prior to South Carolina’s bye week, with his five catches for 50 yards both season lows. But on the flip side he’s had at least five catches in every contest, which is more than many in these wide receiver rankings can say.

Legette has proven he can go up and get the ball in traffic, which is a somewhat rare skill, even among some of the top wideouts. He’s got 32 catches for 606 yards and three touchdowns through the first five games of the season.

6. Xavier Worthy, Texas

Texas lost to Oklahoma but it’s hard to fault Worthy for the loss given he turned in his most productive game of the season. The veteran wideout accounted for eight catches for 108 yards against the rival Sooners, who won 34-30 in a tightly contested game.

Worthy has been pretty consistent throughout the season, though he’s not averaging the kind of yardage per catch that many others are. He’s tallied 34 catches for 453 yards and three touchdowns through the first six games of the season.

7. Keon Coleman, Florida State

Like Harrison, there’s no doubting the big play ability of Coleman. We’ve seen it in big games against LSU and Clemson. But he’s also proven that he can have those quiet days, ala Harrison. In a win over Virginia Tech, Coleman recorded just three catches for 22 yards.

That’s now three of five games so far this season that Coleman has recorded three or fewer catches in. The good news is when he does explode it’s usually a monster performance, but he’s been held in check a lot and thus his slow slide down the list. He’s got 20 catches for 278 yards and six touchdowns this season.

8. Evan Stewart, Texas A&M

Another player who’s been a bit boom or bust week to week, Stewart gets by in these wide receiver rankings based on his sheer talent level and ability to make special things happen with the ball in his hands. But he recorded just three catches for 46 yards against Alabama this week.

Stewart hasn’t recorded more than three catches or 50 yards in a game since the second week of the season, though he’s dealt with some nagging injuries. On the season he has 27 catches for 403 yards and four touchdowns.

9. Jacob Cowing, Arizona

One quick way to move your name up the wide receiver rankings is to record four touchdown catches in a game, particularly against a ranked team like USC. Cowing did just that for the Wildcats this weekend, snagging 10 passes for 88 yards en route to doing so.

That doubled Cowing’s touchdown total for the season in just one game. The Arizona wideout is capable of hauling in a lot of targets, too; he’s had at least seven catches in the last five games he’s played in. Yearly totals: 47 catches for 396 yards and eight touchdowns.

10. Roman Wilson, Michigan

The name of the game for Wilson has been quiet consistency. He hasn’t necessarily had a breakout performance in terms of yardage yet but has been a consistent target for Michigan in the passing game and has been a real threat in the red zone.

Wilson has had only one game over four catches and has yet to have a 100-yard afternoon, but he’s tallied solid numbers nonetheless. The Michigan standout has recorded 22 catches for 382 yards and eight touchdowns.

Top 25 Wide Receivers 11-25

11. Troy Franklin, Oregon
12. Brian Thomas, LSU
13. Johnny Wilson, Florida State
14. Jamari Thrash, Louisville
15. Jalen McMillan, Washington
16. Xavier Restrepo, Miami
17. Tory Horton, Colorado State
18. Tre Harris, Ole Miss
19. Emeka Egbuka, Ohio State
20. Malachi Corley, Western Kentucky
21. Malik Washington, Virginia
22. J.Michael Sturdivant, UCLA
23. Caullin Lacy, South Alabama
24. Jordan Watkins, Ole Miss
25. Tahj Washington, USC

There were several strong performances from the crowd just outside of the top 10 of the current wide receiver rankings. Wilson turned in two touchdowns in a win over Virginia Tech. Restrepo had 143 yards in a loss to Georgia Tech. Corley had 207 yards and two touchdowns. Lacy turned in his fifth straight 100-yard game and had 156 yards and a touchdown. Plenty to keep an eye on for future moves up the top 25 wide receiver rankings.