College Football 2012: Most Difficult Wide Receivers to Replace

We've talked quarterbacks, and we've talked running backs. Now, we'll hit the edge in looking for the most difficult players to replace. That means wide receivers, and there are quite a few good ones who teams will be looking to replace in 2012.

Wide receiver is an interesting position. On some offenses, they are the primary ball-handlers because passing the ball is the most critical thing to the scheme. Other offenses are predicated on the run and use the pass to get that eighth man out of the box and keep a defense honest. Regardless of the scheme, wide receivers are pretty darn important in the offensive world of college football.

Some guys who are going to be missed tremendously include Marvin McNutt and Nick Toon. Both Big Ten guys were their teams' big target used to open up the run game. At Iowa, losing McNutt stings, but they've got bigger problems, as they try to find a running back, again.

Wisconsin loses Toon, but they still have Jared Abbrederis to catch passes and some guy named Montee Ball. North Carolina will miss Dwight Jones, but with Larry Fedora's new offense, he'll be spraying the ball around to all of the Heels' wide receivers.

So here's the list, you'll notice a big twist at No. 1, but the other four guys will be tough to replace in their own right.

Jordan White: Western Michigan

Never heard of this kid? That's a shame. In the last two seasons, White put up almost 3,300 yards of receiving for the Western Michigan Broncos. Add 27 receiving touchdowns to that mix and you get one of the most prolific performances at the position that we've ever seen.

White caught everything and gave us a reason to pay attention to MACtion. That Tuesday night against Toledo this year, he had 16 catches for 238 yards. He also balled hard in the bowl game against Purdue to the tune of 13 catches and 265 yards. Sure, Western Michigan lost both of those games, but the fact is he was the reason they were in them in the first place.

Throw in the fact that the Broncos lose Chleb Ravenell and Robert Arhnheim and head coach Bill Cubit has his hands full trying to replace the production—79 percent of their receiving production to be specific.

Alex Carder, the quarterback, will have to get acquainted with his wide receivers over spring and in the summer. Replacing White's epic production is going to be a tough task.

Alshon Jeffrey: South Carolina

2011 did not go the way that Alshon Jeffrey wanted it go. He only had 49 catches, his original quarterback Stephen Garcia was kicked off the team and he fell well short of the 1,000-yard mark in posting some 700 yards short of his 2010 numbers. Still, the big target for the Gamecocks makes the list.

While Connor Shaw was not throwing the ball to him nearly as much as Jeffrey would have liked to get it, Jeffrey was a positive in both the run and the pass for Steve Spurrier's team. The departure of Jeffrey means no more single coverage on the edge for Ace Sanders and Bruce Ellington. It also means eight guys in the box for Marcus Lattimore, who should be healthy and running for the Gamecocks in 2012. 

Michael Floyd: Notre Dame

Floyd was a beast at Notre Dame. Last year, he had 100 catches and 1,147 yards for the Fighting Irish. Now, the Irish lose their big guy on the edge, and that leaves Tyler Eifert as the big-production receiver for the Irish—and Eifert is a tight end.

Brian Kelly's offenses have found a way to manufacture yards without players as good as Floyd, but with a cast of quarterbacks who aren't world beaters, not having Floyd will truly be felt. The positive is the Irish do have a running game to help them ease the pain—plus an offensive line that will give Tommy Rees time to make smart decisions.

Justin Blackmon: Oklahoma State

Widely regarded as the No. 1 receiver in the NFL draft this year, Blackmon was the heart and soul of the Cowboys offense in 2011. He helped get them to their BCS bowl win. The guy decided to put the team on his back against Texas A&M and make sure that Oklahoma State did not lose that game. Now, he's out the door, and to compound the problems for the Pokes, they also lose starting quarterback Brandon Weeden. 

Blackmon was not just a big part of the offense the last few seasons, he was the centerpiece. He opened up the run game for Joseph Randle and made sure that the other wide receivers saw all sorts of single coverage.

We talked about Jordan White's production, Justin Blackmon is in that same discussion, putting up over 3,304 yards of his own in the last two seasons—plus 38 touchdowns in the process. The Pokes lose Hubert Anyiam and Josh Cooper, along with Blackmon, which means a new quarterback will be throwing to receivers who are trying to adjust to the spotlight.

All Michigan State Everything

Sorry to disappoint you but this is the biggie in the Big Ten—not just BJ Cunningham, not just Keshawn Martin, not just Keith Nichol and Brian Linthicum.

All four of them together are gone, and they were the Spartans top four pass catchers. This is a big deal in East Lansing as no one has proven any ability to step up in their void and be a reliable pass-catcher. Throw in the fact that Kirk Cousins is gone and what you have at Michigan State is a legitimate problem.

Cunningham was the big-play guy, but Martin was as dangerous a receiver as any in the Big Ten. We all remember how reliable Nichol was and how critical he was in the Wisconsin game's final play. Linthicum was the steady Eddie tight end who every team wants. Now, the new quarterback has to find a safety blanket in a group of wideouts who are just getting their feet wet. This is going to be quite the adventure.