College Football 2024: Top 12 WR Performances of the Season so Far
In 2024, it's no secret that college football offenses are mostly pass-heavy. Entering the fourth week of the campaign, we've already seen some outstanding performances from wide receivers across the country.
Arizona's Tetairoa McMillan, Colorado's Travis Hunter and Maryland's Tai Felton have all stood out in the early weeks of the season.
Let's run through the best wide receiver performances through the first three weeks of the year.
Wide Receivers with Some Impressive Stat Lines
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Although UCF senior wideout Kobe Hudson had a quieter first two weeks of the season, he had a breakout game in Week 3.
During last week's 35-34 win on the road against TCU, he had six receptions for 145 yards and two touchdowns. He also had the Knights' game-winning touchdown grab, catching a 20-yard pass from quarterback KJ Jefferson to take a single-point lead with 36 seconds left.
And although the Horned Frogs fell short, TCU's Jack Bech had a career-high 200 yards receiving with a touchdown.
LSU's Kyren Lacy is tied for second nationally with Colorado's Travis Hunter with five touchdowns on the season. He had three touchdowns during the Tigers' 44-21 win over Nicholls State.
Fresno State's Mac Dalena had a career-high seven receptions for 235 yards and a touchdown against Sacramento State. He's sixth nationally in receiving yards per game, averaging 128 per contest.
One of the nation's top returning receivers from last season, Missouri's Luther Burden III, had a quiet first two weeks. But he had a great game during the Week 3 win over Boston College, getting six catches for 117 yards and a touchdown, averaging 19.5 yards per reception.
Tetairoa McMillan's Record-Setting Day for Arizona in Week 1 vs. New Mexico
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Tetairoa McMillan reminded the country why he is one of the best returning wideouts in college football as early as Week 1.
During the Wildcats' home opener against New Mexico, he set a school record when he finished with 10 receptions for 304 yards and four touchdowns.
Perhaps more impressive was the explosiveness he showed, scoring on plays that went for 69, 78 and 40 yards on the night. Per ESPN, more than half (176) of his receiving yards during Arizona's 61-39 win came after the catch.
"Those big explosives were just incredible," Wildcats head coach Brent Brennan said. "He outran the whole secondary on the big one down the sideline. He's awesome. He's an awesome competitor, and he's also not satisfied. He was like, 'We can play better.' That's what you hope for."
In Week 2 against Northern Arizona, McMillan had just two receptions for 11 yards on the night, as the receiver had to match up against double-teams all night. He had a much better outing against Kansas State last week, finishing with 11 receptions for 138 yards, although the Wildcats suffered their first loss of the season, 31-7.
McMillan is currently second in the nation in receiving yards, and following a 1,402-yard season last year, he's on pace to have another huge season.
San Jose State's Nick Nash Playing Lights-Out This Season
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The FBS leader in receiving yards is San Jose State's Nick Nash, who has 34 receptions for 485 yards and six touchdowns through three games this season. He also leads the nation in receiving yards per game, averaging 161.7 per contest.
His best game came last week during the Spartans' 31-10 win against Kennesaw State. He set a new school regular-season record with 17 receptions, adding 225 yards and three touchdown catches.
He's found the end zone at least once in each of San Jose's three victories, helping the Spartans get off to a 3-0 start.
Nash had a solid season in 2023, finishing with 728 receiving yards with eight touchdowns. He could have transferred elsewhere at the end of the year, when former Spartans head coach Brent Brennan went to Arizona.
However, after new Spartans head coach Ken Niumatalolo hired offensive coordinator Craig Stutzmann, Nash decided to stick around.
"Coach Stutzmann is a very passionate guy, he loves this offense, it's his baby," he told KLAX-TV. "That's why I stayed, I could see the vision and I'm happier than ever that I did."
Next up for the Spartans is a big test at Washington State on Friday night. The Cougars' defense is allowing 301 passing yards per game, good for 128th nationally, so Nash could have a big day.
A 4-0 start with a victory over Wazzu could vault SJSU into the playoff conversation.
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Maryland's Tai Felton Setting School Records Already
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Although the Maryland Terrapins have gotten off to a slow 2-1 start through three weeks, receiver Tai Felton has emerged as a star.
He has accounted for 27 receptions for 447 yards and four touchdowns, and he is averaging 16.56 yards per catch. He's also had over 100 yards and at least one touchdown in each of Maryland's first three weeks.
Here's a snapshot of his first three games:
- Week 1 vs. UConn: Seven receptions for 178 yards and two touchdowns
- Week 2 vs. Michigan State: 11 receptions for 152 yards and a touchdown
- Week 3 at Virginia: Nine receptions for 117 yards and a touchdown
Felton's three straight games with over 100 yards receiving is also a Maryland school record, per Gene Wang of the Washington Post. His success can be attributed to work he did over the summer in Florida, where he spent time training with NFL receivers to elevate his game.
"I know he spent time with a veteran pro [and kind of] came back a different guy, taking care of his body," Maryland head coach Mike Locksley told Wang. "His confidence is through the roof. He's playing and practicing at a high level. Can't say enough good things about Tai, and the season he's having thus far is a product of the work he's put in."
Perhaps more impressive is the fact that he is putting up these numbers catching passes from a different quarterback.
After spending his first three seasons working with Taulia Tagovailoa, the receiver is now finding success with Billy Edwards Jr. as his signal-caller.
The Terps play Villanova at home this weekend, when Felton could have another 100-yard receiving day.
Could Colorado's Travis Hunter Be Next NFL Two-Way Star?
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Colorado's two-way star Travis Hunter is back this season, and despite continuing to play both receiver and cornerback, he's showing no signs of slowing down.
Through the Buffaloes' first three games, he has racked up 30 receptions for 342 yards and five touchdowns. He's notched over 100 yards receiving in each of their first three games, which is even more productive on offense than his start last year.
Perhaps the most impressive part is the fact that Hunter is still playing both offense and defense.
Although two-way stars in the NFL are few and far between in 2024, Colorado head coach Deion Sanders is already making the case for the 21-year-old to continue to play both ways in the league:
"Yes, because a lot of teams are tempo, so he don't get a lot of rest. And just think about this. I just got finished talking to scouts about this, about what he can and cannot do. Pros go to huddle. So he's even getting more time to rest. So most teams you play, they run some type of a tempo or the transition is much greater than pros from snap to snap.
"So with him getting that amount of rest, he cannot help but be a great pro. Practices are limited. There's barely no contact. You can't even hit a receiver downfield in the NFL no more. So I think he's a great compliment to that game, and he could continue to do what he's doing now."
Although the Heisman Trophy historically goes to quarterbacks every season, there's no doubt Hunter is in the early conversation for this year's award.
He currently has +3500 odds to win it, per DraftKings, but those could get much better if he keeps playing like he has early in the year.
Next up for Hunter and the Buffs is a home game against Baylor on Saturday night.
Freshmen Ryan Williams and Jeremiah Smith Impress Early
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Playoff contenders Ohio State and Alabama have both benefited from the production of their true freshman wide receivers, Jeremiah Smith and Ryan Williams, respectively.
Both were 5-star prospects, with Smith being the No. 1 ranked receiver from 2024 and Williams ranked third overall. Both wideouts lead their teams in receiving yards through the first three weeks of the season.
Let's start with Williams, who has 10 receptions for 285 yards and four touchdowns through three games. His best game came during Alabama's season opener against Western Kentucky, getting two catches for 139 yards—both receptions going for touchdowns.
The 17-year-old is also averaging 28.50 yard per catch and delighting Alabama head coach Kalen DeBoer in the process:
"The thing [that] impresses me so much about him is is the business-like mentality he has when it comes to football. But the way he's able to balance it with a personality that is just fun to be around, loose when you have that time to be loose. It just happened probably an hour ago, a chance to just be around him and smiling and enjoying being who he is, and then turning into this beast on the football field through these first three games. And, you know, there's going to be ups and downs, just like anyone for him to come, but I'm confident that his maturity well beyond his years, being only 17."
At Ohio State, Smith has had 11 receptions for 211 yards and three touchdowns in just two games. His best display came against Akron, getting five catches for 119 yards with a touchdown.
Perhaps most impressive is the fact that Smith leads likely first-round draft pick Emeka Egbuka in receiving yards and receptions this year.
It will be interesting to see which true freshman has the better season overall at the end of the year. For now, though, we're all enjoying both of these young studs ball out early on.
Ole Miss Receiver Tre Harris Is Rolling
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Ole Miss entered 2024 with playoff aspirations, and its offense has been quite productive through three weeks, thanks to the efforts of Tre Harris.
The senior is fourth nationally in receiving yards, having accounted for 403 yards with two touchdowns in three games.
His best game so far came in Week 1 against Furman, finishing with eight catches for 179 yards and two touchdowns. After two weeks of the season, Pro Football Focus ranked him as the nation's highest-graded receiver in the country with a grade of 94.2.
Harris currently leads the SEC in receiving yards, beating out Alabama's Ryan Williams by 118 yards within the conference. Ole Miss faces Georgia Southern at home this weekend before opening conference play against Kentucky on Sept. 28.
If Harris keeps playing like he has early this season, don't be surprised if he ends up being a finalist for the Biletnikoff Award, which is handed out to college football's top WR each year.
Jaylin Noel Looks to Help Iowa State Start 3-0
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Thanks to Iowa State's Week 3 bye, we've only seen Jaylin Noel twice this season.
However, both of his outings have been impressive, accounting for 13 receptions for 268 yards and two touchdowns. He's averaging 20.62 yards per reception, too, and is fifth nationally in yards per game (134).
"I think you saw it switch from being a really good player to being a great player," Iowa State head coach Matt Campbell said after Noel's Week 1 performance with 135 yards receiving and a touchdown. "(Saturday) he looked like an elite player, one of the best players in the country at his position."
As Noel and the Cyclones face off against Arkansas State at home this Saturday, Iowa State will be playing a ranked team for the first time since 2021. It will also be looking to go 3-0 for just the second time under Campbell.
We'll see if Noel can have one of the best outings of the year this weekend against a Red Wolves defense that has given up 176.7 yards in the air per game this season.
If Noel and the Iowa State offense keeps playing explosively, the Cyclones could become a dark-horse Big 12 conference contender.
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