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Ranking the 10 best wide receiver single seasons in college football history

By David Creekmur

(Photo by Sam Greenwood/Getty Images)
(Photo by Sam Greenwood/Getty Images) /
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17 Jan 1999: Alex Van Dyke #86 of the New York Jets catches during the AFC Championship Game against the Denver Broncos at Mile High Stadium in Denver, Colorado. The Broncos defeated the Jets 23-10. Mandatory Credit: Brian Bahr /Allsport
17 Jan 1999: Alex Van Dyke #86 of the New York Jets catches during the AFC Championship Game against the Denver Broncos at Mile High Stadium in Denver, Colorado. The Broncos defeated the Jets 23-10. Mandatory Credit: Brian Bahr /Allsport /

7. Alex Van Dyke, Nevada (1995)

Many are unfamiliar with former Nevada wide receiving great, Alex Van Dyke. Certainly, there are a couple of reasons for that. First, he played in the Big West Conference in the mid-1990s, which was not a time that a “smaller” conference got a lot of national coverage. Next, he had a rather unsuccessful five-year stint in the NFL, only collecting 26 catches. However, the two years he played at Nevada were stellar, including his record-breaking 1995 season.

Let’s set the stage.

In 1994, Van Dyke snagged 98 balls for 1,246 yards and 10 touchdowns, while putting up 451 kick return yards along with a touchdown. He undoubtedly took that production to another level in 1995 to produce one of the best wide receiver single seasons in history. Van Dyke caught 129 passes for 1,854 yards as well as 16 touchdowns. The yardage broke the aforementioned Howard Twilley’s 30-year-old receiving yards record.

Not only that, but Van Dyke also returned 26 kicks for 583 yards, giving him over 2,400 total yards on the season. Clearly, this was one of the best wide receiver seasons in history.

Sure, Van Dyke’s NFL career never really materialized, but for two years in Reno, he was a superstar. Putting up 3,100 receiving yards along with 1,034 kick return yards and 27 touchdowns in two years definitely puts one in an elite category as a wide receiver.

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