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Float Like a Butterfly...
...sting like a bee. Receiver is a glamour position, but also perhaps an underrated one. Good ones run their routes with purpose, juking corners at the right time and are able to read defenses to know where to get open. They also help open up the running game, and wait patiently for the half-dozen or so moments when they can have a huge impact on the game. People fawn over speed, but savvy, durability, and that inscrutable focus at just the right moments are what separate the good from the great.
| Conf. | School | Class | Yards | YPC | Catch Rate |
|
| ACC | DUKE | Sr. | Jamison Crowder |
1,360 | 12.6 | 65.1% |
| ACC | PITT | So. | Tyler Boyd |
1,174 | 13.8 | 71.4% |
| ACC | FSU | Sr. | Rashad Greene |
1,128 | 14.8 | 67.3% |
| ACC | LOU | Sr. | DeVante Parker |
885 | 16.1 | 68.8% |
| B1G | MICH | Jr. | Devin Funchess |
748 | 14.8 | 53.3% |
| B1G | MARY | Jr. | Stefon Diggs |
587 | 17.3 | 60.7% |
| Big 12 | KSU | Sr. | Tyler Lockett |
1,262 | 15.6 | 71.1% |
| Big 12 | BAY | Sr. | Antwan Goodley |
1,339 | 18.9 | 66.1% |
| Big 12 | OKLA | Jr. | Sterling Shepard |
603 | 11.8 | 68.0% |
| Pac-12 | UTA | Sr. | Dres Anderson |
1,002 | 18.9 | 50.5% |
| Pac-12 | USC | Jr. | Nelson Agholor |
918 | 16.4 | 62.9% |
| Pac-12 | STAN | Sr. | Ty Montgomery | 958 | 15.7 | 62.2% |
| SEC | MISS | So. | Laquon Treadwell |
608 | 8.4 | 74.2% |
| SEC | ALA | Jr. | Amari Cooper | 736 | 16.4 | - |
| SEC | MSST | Sr. |
Jameon Lewis |
923 | 14.4 | 63.4% |
Some of these players have already gotten a lot of hype. Amari Cooper might be the most celebrated receiver in the country, thanks to playing for the Crimson Tide, but in that sense I think he is overrated. He has NFL speed and a durable, 6'1", 215-pound frame, but he would put up much better numbers in another offensive system. Saban uses him for a little of everything, but he's often running routes in the flat and will take sweeps and screen passes as well. However, he's not a quick-twitch athlete in short spaces, and he'd be better in a Devin Smith-type role, regularly running deep downfield. Saban likes to operate a possession offense, but Cooper is a clear reason to break that tendency. He is a perfect deep threat, and not used enough for it.
Jameon Lewis is in a similar situation at Mississippi State - his quarterback, Dak Prescott, is a big, quick runner and does not have the touch or the ability to regularly throw deep to someone like Lewis. Still, Lewis is a fun player to watch, and someone Mississippi State has used in a lot of ways: he also ran 13 times for 9.0 yards a carry, and threw for 3 other touchdowns. All told, he got 1,621 yards.
Treadwell worked as the #2 receiver last year to Donte Moncrief, and usually operated in the slot. He's bulked up to near 230 pounds, and Bo Wallace and Hugh Freeze will lean on him to propel the passing game. Devin Funchess and Stefon Diggs are worthy talents, but the Big Ten has leaned for too long on two-star receivers like Eric Decker (now a New York Jet, once a two-star receiver for Minnesota) and Kevonte Martin-Manley, and three-star receivers like Allen Robinson and B.J. Cunningham.
Some of the very best receivers reside in the Big 12 - no conference has a trio like Shepard, Goodley, and Lockett. Look for Shepard to become the main focus of Trevor Knight; outside of the 5'10", 195-pound Shepard, the team returns 17 catches and 228 yards from a year ago. Also, a shout-out has to go to the unknown and stellar Tyler Boyd, who put up an elite catch rate and almost 1,200 yards for a 7-6 team.
Hitting the Links Works Toward Its Goals
Wilson has bulked up to 195 pounds, and seems eager and desperate to prove himself to Urban Meyer.
Marshall, who redshirted last year, is similarly eager to make a statement among the receiving corps. The Buckeyes have gotten a number of slim, fast players, and Marshall is very similar to Dontre Wilson in that way. What isn't clear is if Marshall has the requisite skills to turn his hype (a near-five-star recruit) into production.
Meyer is an interesting figure. Listening to him in press conferences and interviews, it becomes apparent how different he is from most other coaches. He's vibrant - getting visibly excited about certain players, for instance - but alternatively very thoughtful and reflective. Most coaches are very walled off, and Meyer is not.
ACL Injury for Nebraska LB Michael Rose
A possible starter at middle linebacker, this affects Nebraska's defense, for sure, but I also included it for his reactions. Injuries and recoveries are a big part of life for football players, and always a difficult one. The loss of Rose, an Academic All-Big Ten, is one of a several recent blows to NU's defense, as this elaborates.
...ACL Injury for Starting Oregon LT
This comes right after just recovering from an ACL injury.
Maryland, ACC Reach Settlement
You've probably heard about this, but it goes into some detail.
Not a lot of surprises, but they cheated by moving Taiwan Jones back outside.
Greatest Games to Watch This Season
Even some of the 'Others to watch' look fantastic.
This goes into a lot of depth. The high point was actually our Notre Dame win, or else the Minnesota win, but it was a good line in there about us meeting a Big Ten foe (in Northwestern) equally capable of snatching defeat from the jaws of victory.
Mark will sit out against Cal and Northern Illinois; no details have been provided.
This was interesting, informative and easy to read - read up on a team trying to fight with both San Francisco and Seattle for the NFC West crown.
The State of College Football TV
SI has been producing a lot more college football content lately, but Richard Deitsch is still the best.
SI's List of Recruits to Watch
A number of these 2015 and '16 recruits are recognizable: Harris, Campbell, Byron Cowart. Ohio State is leading for Torrance Gibson, by the way.
SI: Chris Petersen, Ty Montgomery, and Eastern Michigan
This had interesting stuff from start to finish. I'd recommend reading about how Petersen focused on bringing the team closer together, and also what Creighton has done since joining the Eagles. Further down, Malik McDowell is also discussed.
Next they'll be recruiting with British villains. Hey, wait a minute....
NFL Will Limit Draft Evaluations
I would be curious to understand the NFL's rationale for this before making a firmer judgment, but what's certain is this will affect talented teams the hardest, and will make some awkward situations for those teams.
Michigan State's 'Intriguing' Receiver Options
The M.O. under Dantonio has usually been a handful of receivers, almost all of them three stars, who get somewhere between 500-600 yards each. In fact, B.J. Cunningham, the Spartans' leader in all-time receptions and yards and top ten in both categories in Big Ten history, had one 1,300-yard season in 2011 and then all 500- and 600-yard campaigns. When Dantonio recruits an impressive athlete, you can usually bet they're going to be a running back, a linebacker, or a safety.
Classic Mark Dantonio Press Conference
While we're on the subject of Michigan State's receivers, here's a classic press conference from Mark Dantonio where he publicly criticizes the whole position group.
Montae Nicholson Impressing Dantonio
Good, another track star. The Big Ten can use some of that speed Nicholson has. Also, at wide receiver, apparently.
I remember getting chills watching this (probably because I was rooting for the Jets, I must confess). It was one of my better sports-watching memories and an amazing image after a 3rd and 4 touchdown catch.
Geez, he is fast.
Touchdown Run for Melvin Gordon
Great speed, and pinpoint control. Tough to stop that.
Amazing Interception by Ricardo Allen
I really wish I had a better view of that, cuz I'm not sure how he came up with that and kept his balance.
...And this is probably an even more amazing highlight.
If you didn't catch it, the title to the wide receivers preview was a reference to Muhammad Ali, who is attributed with the phrase, 'Float like a butterfly, sting like a bee.' This got me looking up videos of Ali's boxing, and he is amazing, and he fits that phrase exactly. I would say highlights of the highlights are at 1:43, the knockout at 2:00, and 3:53, but it's all great.