A lot of talented receivers have played for smaller schools over the years. Out of all the greats, which 10 have been the best of the bunch?
Year in and year out, dominant receivers represent small schools on statistical leaderboards. Some of these players were overlooked coming out of high school. Others ran into trouble that ended their chance at a big-time scholarship. Some merely blossomed within a particular system. In any case, their position as statistical leaders are hardly any fluke.
But what makes someone a “small school” player? For the purposes of this exercise, we must first define what constitutes a “small school” player. For players from recent years, small schools are defined as those outside of the Power Five structure. During the BCS era, the delineation was marked by the Big Six which also included the Big East.
Before that period, things are a bit less clear. The current power conferences (and their antecedents, such as the Big 8 and SWC for the Big 12) are all considered large schools for the purposes of this exercise. Independent programs that are now in major conferences are also included as major schools. Notre Dame will also never be confused for a small school.
That leaves what we would now think of as mid-major programs. Players at the FCS level were also included, and a few big names managed to make the cut for this list.
Prior to the 1950s, the college football landscape was vastly different. Thus we will focus on the modern era from the late 1950s onward. The list is filled with receivers that made their mark, and many went on to succeed in rhe professional ranks as well. Click ahead to see who we rated as the 10 best wide receivers from small schools.