College football position preview
Taking a look at top wide receivers, tight ends
USA TODAY is getting ready for the college football season by breaking down the best players at each position in the Bowl Subdivision. Up next: the wide receivers and the tight ends.
There’s enough talent at Alabama and Clemson alone to populate a majority of the list of the top receiving talent: The two powers have at least five contenders for a spot among the nation’s best. Joining names from the Tide and Tigers are standouts from Oklahoma State, Colorado, Purdue and others.
1. Jerry Jeudy, Alabama (Jr.)
Jeudy’s 2018 numbers speak for themselves: 68 grabs for 1,315 yards and 14 scores, with the yardage and scores ranking second in the program’s singleseason record book. Jeudy took home the Biletnikoff as the nation’s top receiver while rarely taking key snaps in the fourth quarter during the regular season. Jeudy is set to do the same in 2019.
2. Laviska Shenault, Colorado (Jr.)
Shenault was among the impact players across the first month-plus before injuries slowed his stride in October. He still managed five games of 100plus yards and five games with doubledigit receptions across nine appearances. If he’s healthy, Shenault might very well be the best of the bunch.
3. Rondale Moore, Purdue (Soph.)
Moore slid right into a prime spot in Purdue’s system and capitalized to the tune of 114 catches for 1,258 yards and 12 touchdowns, all numbers good for the top spot in the Big Ten. There’s no doubting his ability to put the offense on his back.
4. Tee Higgins, Clemson (Jr.)
Higgins tapped into his immense skill set during a 2018 campaign that saw him lead the Tigers in receptions and TDs. While Clemson is loaded at the position, Higgins is the centerpiece due to his reliability and NFL-ready frame.
5. Tylan Wallace, Oklahoma State (Jr.)
Wallace went from an impressive but underused freshman to one of college football’s most productive skill players in 2018, earning a spot as a Biletnikoff finalist after posting 86 catches for 1,491 yards and 12 TDs. He was a true big-play threat, topping the nation with 63 grabs
for 10 or more yards and leading all players with at least 80 receptions with 17.3 yards per catch.
6. Justyn Ross, Clemson (Soph.)
Ross had his coming-out party in the College Football Playoff, with a combined 12 receptions for 301 yards and three scores. That he’s ranked behind his teammate is due only to consistency: Ross has every skill you’d want from the position.
7. CeeDee Lamb, Oklahoma (Jr.)
Look for Lamb’s workload to increase as the Sooners move on without Marquise Brown, and look for Lamb to be up for the challenge. Lamb put up similar numbers to Brown’s across the board in 2018.
8. Jalen Reagor, TCU (Jr.)
Reagor will continue to put up crooked numbers despite drawing the majority of attention from defenses. Last year, he accounted for roughly a
third of the team receptions, nearly 40% of the team’s receiving yards and half of the receiving TDs. Blur-quick as a receiver and a runner, he’s a legitimate All-American threat.
9. Jaylen Waddle, Alabama (Soph.)
This spot could’ve gone to another Alabama target, Henry Ruggs III, who finished second on the team in 2018 in receptions and TD grabs. Waddle gets the nod for his ability to tear the top off opposing defenses.
10. Amon-Ra St. Brown, Southern California (Soph.)
This is based primarily on promise. Look for Brown to mesh with Graham Harrell’s new offensive scheme and continue building a rapport with quarterback JT Daniels as he challenges for the top spot in the Pac-12 in all meaningful receiving categories.
Five just missing out
Rico Bussey, North Texas; K.J. Hill, Ohio State; Justin Jefferson, LSU; Collin Johnson, Texas; Henry Ruggs III, Alabama.
TIGHT ENDS
The overall talent level of FBS tight ends will take a hit after an exodus of All-American contributors to the NFL, including two from Iowa in the first round of the recent draft. But there are a number of draft-eligible options set for heavy NFL attention.
1. Albert Okwuegbunam, Missouri (Jr.)
Okwuegbunam is set for increased exposure without Irv Smith and Jace Sternberger grabbing attention in the SEC. He’s accounted for 72 receptions and 17 TDs across his first two seasons and was set for an impressive set of numbers in 2018 before missing the final four games with a shoulder injury.
2. Harrison Bryant, Florida Atlantic (Sr.)
Bryant graded out in 2018 as one of the nation’s most complete tight ends, even if it’s his receiving numbers that initially stand out — 664 receiving yards on 14.7 yards per catch, for example.
3. Mitchell Wilcox, South Florida (Sr.)
Once known primarily as a bruising blocker in the Bulls’ running game, Wilcox expanded his reach last fall to make 43 receptions for 540 yards. That makes him the centerpiece of an offense undergoing another offseason change.
4. Matt Bushman, Brigham Young (Jr.)
No tight end seems better at stretching the field: Bushman averaged 17.6 yards per reception as a sophomore and has led the Cougars in catches and yardage in each of his first two seasons. Alongside rising sophomore quarterback Zach Wilson, a bit of a revelation in 2018, Bushman gives BYU’s offense reason for optimism as it prepares for another brutal early-season stretch of games.
5. Grant Calcaterra, Oklahoma (Jr.)
At about 225 pounds as of last season, Calcaterra is less a traditional tight end – in the NFL sense, at least – and more a hybrid in Oklahoma’s electric offensive system. It’s a role he fits perfectly as a security option for Baker Mayfield, Kyler Murray and now Jalen Hurts.