Big 12 Football: The 12 best wide receivers in the conference
By Phil Poling
No. 10: Hakeem Butler, Junior | Iowa State
Hakeem Butler finished third on the Cyclones with 41 receptions last season, but his 697 receiving yards and seven touchdowns rank second behind only Allen Lazard – one of the best wide receivers the school’s had. Lazard’s departure leaves a ton of targets unclaimed.
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The 6-foot-6, 225-pound junior didn’t do much to garner national attention last season, to no fault of his own, though. In the season opener against Northern Iowa, Butler tallied seven catches for 75 yards and a score – a decent day for the No. 3 or No. 4 target on the offense.
The Cyclones’ second game, against Iowa, was Butler’s best college outing thus far. He caught only five passes, but accrued 128 yards and two touchdowns. He’d replicate this performance in the bowl game (five rec., 111 yards, one touchdown), giving Iowa State fans something to look forward to.
An improved role, and the defense’s stacking-of-the-box to slow stud running back David Montgomery, should boost Butler’s name in conversations about the “best wide receiver in the Big 12.”