College Football: 10 Great QBs Who Need Better Wide Receivers

As the college football season approaches, the rosters of every FBS team are being picked apart by experts and just the random fan of what the team will be expected to do in 2010.

The following slideshow is a look at some of the top quarterbacks this season that might have some trouble with their targets at the wide receiver position.

1. Matt Barkley (USC)

Sophomore Matt Barkley will return to lead the new regime of Lane Kiffin as he takes over the Trojans. The leading target for the quarterback will be senior Ronald Johnson who led USC in 2009 with 378 yards on 34 catches along with three touchdowns .

The Trojans’ receiving corps will have plenty of talent as USC does year in and year out, but I think the lack of experience will be a setback this season as there is only one sophomore and two freshman projected on the roster this year.

Projected 2010 Receiving Corps

Ronald Johnson (Sr.)
Bruce Butler (So.)
Robert Woods (Fr.)
Kyle Prater (Fr.)

2. Dwight Dasher (Middle Tenn St.)

In 2009, quarterback Dwight Dasher was “Mr. Everything” for Middle Tennessee as he threw for close to 2,800 yards, while running for another 1,100 yards, accumulating 36 touchdowns in the process. The Blue Raiders will have both coordinators replaced but with the talent available, the team should be able to duplicate their 10-3 record from 2009.

Even with the offense that Dasher can produce, the team will still need some kind of receiving threat that doesn’t seem to be there this year. The lack of experience in the unit might put more stress on Dasher to perform even better than he did in 2009.

Projected 2010 Receiving Corps

Shane Blissard (Jr.)
Sancho McDonald (Jr.)
Tyler Mason (Jr.)
Richard Drake (Fr.)

3. Jordan Jefferson (LSU)

The LSU quarterback enters 2010 in his junior season with one legitimate weapon, Terrance Tolliver, at his disposal. The senior is coming off a successful season in Baton Rouge with more than 50 catches for 735 yards along with three touchdowns.

In an otherwise weak receiving corps, Jefferson will have sophomore Rueben Randle as well as converted quarterback Russell Shepard to help if there is any inconsistent play similar to 2009.

Projected 2010 Receiving Corps

Terrance Tolliver (Sr.)
Rueben Randle (So.)
Chris Tolliver (So.)
Russell Shepard (So.)

4. Christian Ponder (Florida State)

After an injury forced him to put his NFL dreams on hold, Christian Ponder returns to Tallahassee to lead newly anointed coach Jimbo Fisher’s Seminoles squad. The senior signal caller will be coming off a 2,700 yard, 14 touchdown junior year hoping to lead the Seminoles back to an ACC Championship.

At the skill positions, I believe FSU has the talent to produce, but they lack the return of any starting wide receivers from 2009. In addition to that, I would like to see how Ponder reacts to the speed of the game after his shoulder injury late last November.

Projected 2010 Receiving Corps

Bert Reed(Jr.)
Jarmon Fortson(Jr.)
Willie Haulstead(So.)
Rodney Smith(So.)

5. Landry Jones (Okla.)

Sophomore Landry Jones will officially take over the Sooner offense as his own after the graduation of Sam Bradford to the NFL. As with many other teams, Oklahoma will only be fortunate to have one returning starter at wide receiver from 2009.

Senior Mossis Madu and Junior Ryan Broyles will be the veterans of the receiving corps this year while only Broyles has the play making ability that can improve the Sooners 8-5 record from in 2010. The lack of experience and game breaking ability of the current wide receivers will make it hard for Jones in this upcoming 2010 season.

Projected 2010 Receiving Corps
Ryan Broyles (Jr.)
Kenny Stills (Fr.)
Mossis Madu (Sr.)
Jaz Reynolds (So.)

6. Garrett Gilbert (Texas)

Five plays into the BCS National Championship Game in January, Garrett Gilbert was thrown into the quarterback position well before his anticipated Longhorn’s debut this fall. As an extra wrinkle to the offense that Gilbert will operate, the focus will transfer from a spread offense style back to a power running game and more play action passing in 2010.

The receiving corps will be minus Jordan Shipley to the NFL, which leads the unit to have no returning starters from 2009. Junior Malcolm Williams will be the elder of the group which will have Gilbert dealing with some inexperience with some players in his first year starting in Austin.

Projected 2010 Receiving Corps

Malcolm Williams (Jr.)
Marquise Goodwin (So.)
Mike Davis (Fr.)
DeSean Hales (So.)

7. BJ Daniels (USF)

South Florida will have electricity running through the stadium this fall as sophomore BJ Daniels returns to lead the offense under new coach Skip Holtz in 2010. The young Daniels has the athletic ability to drive defenses crazy in the Big East, but the mistakes might frustrate the USF faithful this season.

Daniels’ receiving corps might not to be bail him out if there are mistakes as there is only one senior and three sophomores comprising the unit. The combined lack of experience on offense might spell doom for the Bulls hopes for a bowl berth or their first Big East Championship.

Projected 2010 Receiving Corps

Dontavia Bogan (Sr.)
Lindsay Lamar (So.)
Sterling Griffin (So.)
Evan Landi (So.)

8. Andrew Luck (Stanford)

As the Cardinal come into 2010, quarterback Andrew Luck will need to step up after the loss of Toby Gerhart to the NFL in his sophomore season. During his freshman year, Luck made a name for himself with his passing game along with the ability he has on his feet.

Stanford will have two veteran receivers to help keep the passing game moving down the field with senior Ryan Whalen and junior Chris Owusu in 2010. While having experience in the duo, the team lacks depth at the position which will need to be addressed as the season progresses.

Projected 2010 Receiving Corps

Ryan Whalen (Sr.)
Chris Owuso (Jr.)
Jamal Rashad-Patterson (So.)
Griff Whalen (So.)

9. John Brantley (Florida)

As the Tim Tebow era ends in Gainesville, the gator offense is turned over to freshman quarterback John Brantley. Though the roster may not have many returning players from 2009, Florida will have plenty of talent to help the learning curve of Brantley while he masters the offense.

With breaking in any new quarterback, the receivers will need to be spot on when the ball is thrown their way this season. Brantley will need to find a playmaker receiver within the current unit to be successful, but more experience will be needed this fall.

Projected 2010 Receiving Corps

Denote Thompson (Jr.)
Carl Moore (Sr.)
Frankie Hammond (So.)
Justin Williams (Sr.)

10. Josh Nesbitt (GT)

Senior Josh Nesbitt will return in 2010 as he leads the dangerous triple option offense minus wide receiver Demaryius Thomas and three members of the offensive line in 2009. Nesbitt was the GT offense as he ran for more than 1,000 yards on the ground and amassed a little more than 1,700 yards through the air for a total of 28 touchdowns.

If some defense is able to shut down the option, the passing game will be needed to step up in its place. With only an upperclassman starter at receiver, I think the Yellow Jackets may be in distress if Tyler Melton and the receiving corps are overly depended on in 2010.

Projected 2010 Receiving Corps

Tyler Melton (Jr.)
Stephen Hill (So.)
Quentin Sims (So.)
Jeremy Moore (Fr.)