Top 10 WR Performances of the 2023 CFB Season So Far
While no individual player truly determines the outcome of any college football game, wide receivers can take over a day.
Through three weeks of the 2023 campaign, we've witnessed some wideouts absolutely tear up the box score. Tre Harris snagged four touchdowns during his Ole Miss debut, and Keon Coleman shredded the LSU secondary for three scores in his first game at Florida State.
We've seen recognizable players explode—looking at you, Malik Nabers—and watched some unknown receivers put up ridiculous numbers.
Don't know Gage Larvadain? You're about to.
This list is subjective but leans heavily on total production while factoring in competition level and key moments.
Tre Harris, Ole Miss
1 of 10
Tre Harris has made quite an impression at Ole Miss.
A transfer from Louisiana Tech, he scored a touchdown on his first three receptions. Sure, it happened against lower-division Mercer, but that's a wonderfully absurd way to introduce yourself.
Harris finished the 73-7 blowout with six catches for 133 yards and a program-record four touchdowns.
"That's pretty amazing," Ole Miss coach Lane Kiffin told reporters, "and especially to do it that fast. He only got in about a quarter and a half."
Kris Mitchell, Florida International
2 of 10
Kris Mitchell had a similarly tremendous day opposite a lower-division school. Considering what had transpired one week earlier, though, he also provided an enormous sigh of relief.
In a 22-17 loss to Louisiana Tech, Florida International totaled a mind-numbing four passing yards in 14 attempts.
But the Panthers—who also switched to freshman Keyone Jenkins at quarterback—leaned on Mitchell to clip Maine 14-12. The junior receiver reeled in nine passes for 201 yards and two touchdowns, including a 62-yard score that stood as the game's decisive moment.
Mitchell has since notched 73-plus yards and one touchdown in each of FIU's next two victories.
Hudson Clement, West Virginia
3 of 10
Rounding out the FBS vs. FCS performances, Hudson Clement enjoyed one of the most memorable evenings of the young season.
And it's not simply about his production.
West Virginia cruised to a 56-17 win over Duquesne, and Clement—a surprise starter following injuries to receivers Devin Carter and Traylon Ray—made five catches for 177 yards and three touchdowns.
After the game, though, the WVU staff removed the walk-on label from the redshirt freshman and placed him on scholarship.
Seriously, what an incredible day for Clement.
.jpg?w=256 "Ohio State Team Doctor")
Luther Burden III, Missouri
4 of 10
This is exactly the kind of performance that Missouri envisioned when it swiped Luther Burden III as a 5-star prospect in 2022.
The Tigers hosted No. 15 Kansas State in Week 3, and Burden commanded the spotlight with a 47-yard touchdown on their opening drive. In the fourth quarter, he grabbed a go-ahead 26-yard score and added a reception on Missouri's last-minute winning drive.
Altogether, he corralled seven passes for 114 yards and those two touchdowns during the 30-27 upset victory.
We're not going to dwell on his hilarious flop, though.
Robert Lewis, Georgia State
5 of 10One simple way to have a massive day? Catch a 97-yard touchdown.
Robert Lewis screamed past the Charlotte secondary and caught a perfectly thrown pass from Darren Grainger to (unsurprisingly) record the longest play in Georgia State history.
Even beyond that moment, Lewis had an excellent showing on his way to a single-game yardage record. He caught five more passes with another trip to the end zone, wrapping up the 41-25 triumph at six receptions for a school-best 220 yards and two touchdowns.
Lewis has played an integral part in Georgia State earning the program's first-ever 4-0 start.
Gage Larvadain, Miami (Ohio)
6 of 10Gage Larvadain sees your 97-yard touchdown and raises you the longest score possible: All 99, baby.
From the opening drive of the game, it was clear Larvadain would be a problem for the Massachusetts defense. He snagged three passes for 70 yards and a touchdown on that possession before somersaulting across the plane for a 99-yard score in the first quarter.
For good measure, he caught a 13-yard touchdown and narrowly had another on a 70-yard grab but fumbled into the end zone—and a Miami teammate still recovered anyway in the 41-28 win over UMass.
Eight catches, 273 yards and three scores? Seen worse.
Larvadain enters Week 4 as the Football Bowl Subdivision leader with 449 receiving yards.
Jacolby George, Miami
7 of 10Every touchdown is timely, based on the reality there is never a legitimately bad time to score points.
Jacolby George, nevertheless, had extra-super-great timing to help Miami upset then-No. 23 Texas A&M. He caught a touchdown with 13 seconds left in the opening half and sealed the 48-33 victory on a 64-yard score in the closing minutes of the fourth quarter.
The most impressive part, perhaps, is that his tremendous afternoon came after a horrible early mistake.
Texas A&M blocked a punt on Miami's opening drive, and George mishandled a punt two drives later. The giveaway handed the Aggies a 10-point lead and placed the 'Canes in a problematic hole.
George responded with career-high totals of 94 yards and three touchdowns on his five receptions.
Erik Brooks, Fresno State
8 of 10Erik Brooks has nearly matched last season's production through just three appearances in 2023.
And he started with some fireworks.
Fresno State traveled to Purdue and upset the Big Ten program, snatching the 39-35 victory behind his clutch touchdown. Brooks caught a 22-yard score with 59 seconds left to play, capping an afternoon with nine receptions for 170 yards and two touchdowns.
Brooks, who secured a 29-yard score in the first quarter of that upset, has posted no less than eight catches and 95 yards in Fresno State's opening three games (all wins).
Keon Coleman, Florida State
9 of 10Keon Coleman assembled a quality 2022 season at Michigan State, pulling in 58 passes for 598 yards and seven touchdowns. He headed to Florida State as part of a star-studded transfer group.
Best of all, the third-year wideout immediately lived up to the billing as FSU pounded LSU 45-24 in Week 1.
Coleman matched his personal-high mark of nine catches while collecting 122 yards and three scores. He also snared a key 41-yard reception on a third-quarter touchdown drive that sparked the blowout.
"We knew who he was, and we knew he was a very difficult matchup for us," LSU coach Brian Kelly told reporters after the game. "Excellent ball skills. A matchup problem for us and he presented that kind of problem."
Malik Nabers, LSU
10 of 10LSU's offense stumbled in that disappointing loss to Florida State, but Malik Nabers ensured the Tigers would not fall at Mississippi State.
Really, the hosts had no answer for Nabers.
He amassed 13 catches for 239 yards and two trips to the end zone in a comfortable 41-14 triumph for LSU. He notched both scores in the opening half as the Bayou Bengals raced out to a 24-0 lead.
In addition to his pair of touchdowns, Nabers made receptions of 48 and 45 yards, respectively, to set up short rushing scores for Josh Williams and Jayden Daniels.
.jpg?w=480 "Ohio State Team Doctor")
