Ranking the 10 best college wide receivers ahead of the 2024 season

With less than a week until the 2024 college football season starts, starting lineups are being unveiled and final practices are taking place ahead of the first kickoff of the year.

While quarterbacks and running backs manage the backfield, some of the most elite athletes on a team streak toward the end zone.

Wideouts are not just fast, but they're also smart, quick (it's different than fast, trust me), and dependable.

So, here are the 10 best collegiate wide receivers in the country:

Honorable mention:

• Kevin Concepcion at NC State
• Brant Kuithe at Utah
• Juice Wells at Ole Miss
• Zachariah Branch at USC

The transfer from Alabama is expected to fill the hole left by the loss of Xavier Worthy and Jordan Whittington to the NFL.

Isaiah Bond, who is set to become Texas' new WR1, will have an even more experienced quarterback targeting him in Quinn Ewers and the Longhorn should have an incredible season in 2024.

Without J.J. McCarthy holding the reigns and Jim Harbaugh calling the plays, it wouldn't be surprising if the Michigan offense crumbled.

However, wideout Colston Loveland should have an incredible season for the Wolverines and will (almost) undoubtedly lead the team in receiving yards.

Colorado's two-way player Travis Hunter is arguably the greatest player in all of college football.

However, he isn't the No. 1 player at either position he plays. Yet, his unbelievable talent at both cornerback and wide receiver earns him an easy spot on this list.

While this will be his first season at the Power 4 level, Caullin Lacy should be an incredible addition to the Louisville offense.

Last year while at South Alabama, Lacy had an incredible 1,316 receiving yards and is expected to only grow while playing for the Cardinals.

It doesn't hurt to have one of the most accurate quarterbacks in the nation throwing you the ball but Ole Miss wideout Tre Harris is truly something special all on his own.

Last season, Harris scored eight touchdowns on less than 1,000 receiving yards and averaged over 18 yards per catch.

With the addition of Cam Ward at quarterback for the Hurricanes, wide receiver Xavier Restrepo should have an unbelieve season in 2024.

Last year, without a star quarterback at the helm, Restrepo still produced more than 1,000 yards and six touchdowns through the air.

No, Emeka Egbuka's stat line doesn't read out quite as impressively as most of the other wide receivers on this list.

However, Egbuka's pure athleticism and apparent inability to drop a pass thrown his way combine to make him one of the greatest wideouts in the game.

The returning offensive star for the Oregon Ducks is none other than wideout Tez Johnson.

This year, without adoptive brother Bo Nix slinging the ball, Johnson luckily gets to go deep for Heisman-favorite Dillon Gabriel.

While playing alongside fellow star receiver Evan Stewart as well as tight end duo Patrick Herbert and Terrance Ferguson, Johnson should have an incredible final season of college football.

In 2023, Luther Burden III became a standout star on a Missouri Tigers squad that was shocking the world with their unexpected success.

With another year of experience under his belt, Burden is expected to expand upon his already impressive stat line from last year.

While some people were surprised to see Arizona in the AP Top 25 rankings ahead of the season, with star athletes like Tetairoa McMillan all over the roster, the Wildcats could arguably ranked higher.

Last year, McMillan scored double-digit touchdowns and earned a whopped 1,402 receiving yards on nearly one hundred catches.

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