College Football's Top 'Go-To' Wide Receivers for 2015
Your team needs a third-down conversion, a red-zone score or a last-ditch grab in the dying seconds of the game. Which receiver will your quarterback target?
For fans of some programs, the answer to that question is easy. Each of their schools' offenses has a can't-miss, go-to receiver—the one on the field who makes catch after catch.
Last season, college football had several of these stars whose catch-per-game rates were through the roof, such as Alabama's Amari Cooper, East Carolina's Justin Hardy and West Virginia's Kevin White. This year, a handful of wideouts are back to rack up the receptions and big plays as some of the top targets in all the land.
Before we get to this countdown, let's start with a definition. A "go-to" receiver in this list is someone who is a clear-cut No. 1 receiver who either led his team in catches by a huge margin in 2014 or has a great chance of doing so in 2015. These are the receivers the quarterbacks constantly "go to" a lot more than anyone else on the roster.
This definition, then, rules out some fantastic receivers who are part of standout tandems and trios with their teammates. Star wideouts at schools such as Baylor, Clemson, Ohio State, Oregon, TCU and Texas A&M aren't on this list because they are more balanced in terms of hitting multiple receivers.
With all of that in mind, here are 10 of college football's top No. 1 targets for 2015. Tell us who you think is the No. 1 receiver of all of the No. 1 receivers and which other wideouts could make this list in the comments below.
Tyler Boyd (Pittsburgh)
1 of 10
2014: 78 catches (6.0 per game) for 1,261 yards and eight touchdowns
Last season, Pittsburgh was one of the most run-heavy teams in college football that didn't run the triple option, keeping the ball on the ground 610 times compared to just 308 attempts through the air. But when the Panthers took to the skies, the talented Boyd was usually waiting on the other end.
Boyd's 78 catches and 1,261 receiving yards were the best on Pittsburgh last season by a ridiculous margin. The next-closest receiver to him in yards was senior Manasseh Garner with 201, and returning tight end J.P. Holtz came in second in catches with a mere 21.
"Pitt ran the ball at nearly an exact 2-1 rush-pass ratio, yet Boyd's numbers were up there among the best in the country," Bleacher Report's Ben Kercheval wrote in March. "Just a sophomore [in 2014], Boyd has the ideal size at 6'2" and is almost the literal definition of a No. 1 receiver."
Leonte Carroo (Rutgers)
2 of 10
2014: 55 catches (4.2 per game) for 1,086 yards and 10 touchdowns
Carroo hasn't had the best of service during his time at Rutgers, but that didn't stop him from becoming the Scarlet Knights' clear No. 1 target last season.
With 55 catches—Janarion Grant was the closest to that mark with 25 grabs—Carroo finished second in the Big Ten for receiving yards and yards per catch. He's also one of the nation's best scoring threats, as he finished third in the Big Ten in receiving touchdowns one year after scoring nine on just 28 receptions.
"Carroo returned for his senior season, but both [quarterback Gary] Nova and [former offensive coordinator Ralph] Friedgen are gone, with an uncertain QB situation still to [be] resolved," Sports On Earth's Matt Brown wrote. "Regardless, Carroo is one of the best weapons in the Big Ten, a speedy threat with solid size who is capable of elevating shaky quarterback play."
Pharoh Cooper (South Carolina)
3 of 10
2014: 69 catches (5.3 per game) for 1,136 yards and nine touchdowns
While one Cooper dominated the spotlight as the best receiver in the SEC last season, another one was right behind him.
South Carolina's Pharoh finished second to Alabama's Amari in SEC receiving yards last season and had the third-most catches of any player in the conference. At 5'11" and 208 pounds, Cooper is extremely dangerous in the open field and can turn a short grab into a big play at any moment.
The Gamecocks will definitely need Cooper's talents after their disappointing 2014 season and the amount of offseason turnover at the position. The No. 2 returning receiver at South Carolina this season is senior Shamier Jeffery, who only had two catches for nine yards last year. Redshirt freshman Deebo Samuel will help lighten the load on Cooper, but whoever wins the starting quarterback job at South Carolina will be constantly hitting this electrifying junior in 2015.
William Fuller (Notre Dame)
4 of 10
2014: 76 catches (5.8 per game) for 1,094 yards and 15 touchdowns
New starting quarterback Malik Zaire has several top-notch weapons around him at Notre Dame this fall, but none dominate the offense quite like Fuller.
The 6'0", 180-pound wideout finished tied for third nationally last season in receiving touchdowns and recorded four 100-yard games. As a sophomore in 2014, Fuller had 36 more catches and 10 more touchdowns than the next top receiver for the Irish, tall red-zone threat Corey Robinson.
Fuller might not have as big of a load on his shoulders as some of the rest of the receivers on this list, but it's clear he was one of the best go-to threats in the entire country last season. He will be relied on to make even more big plays for Zaire and the rest of the Irish this fall.
DaeSean Hamilton (Penn State)
5 of 10
2014: 82 catches (6.3 per game) for 899 yards and two touchdowns
Penn State's offense was a major work in progress last season, and Hamilton's yardage and touchdown marks won't blow anyone away.
But Hamilton led the Big Ten with 82 catches, which was the most of any other freshman in college football last season. Standing at 6'1" and 211 pounds, Hamilton is an all-around receiver who had a knack for picking up yards after the catch for quarterback Christian Hackenberg last season. He'll continue to be the go-to guy as the rest of the offense improves heading into 2015.
"DaeSean Hamilton survived his freshman season as a No. 1 target, and while his per-target averages were suspect, he showed potential as a possession receiver (14 catches for 126 yards against Ohio State) and big-play guy (almost 14 yards per catch through the first five games)," SB Nation's Bill Connelly wrote.
Rashard Higgins (Colorado State)
6 of 10
2014: 96 catches (8.0 per game) for 1,750 yards and 17 touchdowns
If it's measured as a receiving stat, Higgins was most likely near the top of the charts for it last season, and now he's back to do it all again in 2015.
"Hollywood" led the nation in receiving yards, yards per game and touchdowns last season while finishing eighth in receptions per game and 10th in total receptions. Connelly said Higgins caught 73 percent of the passes thrown his way last season—a remarkable figure for a player who was constantly targeted.
This season, Higgins has a new offensive-minded head coach and a new quarterback with him in Fort Collins. His numbers might not be as spectacular as they were in 2014, but you can bet the Rams will keep chucking the ball to the nation's most prolific wideout, as the next closest receiver to him in catches last season had only 35.
Keevan Lucas (Tulsa)
7 of 10
2014: 101 catches (8.4 per game) for 1,219 yards and 11 touchdowns
It's OK if you don't recognize Lucas' name. He starred on a Tulsa team that went 2-10 last season and only picked up close victories over fellow strugglers Tulane and SMU.
But Lucas was one of the busiest receivers in college football last season, tying West Virginia's Kevin White for the fifth-highest catch-per-game mark. He finished 12th nationally in total receiving yards in an offense whose second leading receiver had only 47 catches all season.
Lucas could have even more success in 2015 as Tulsa's No. 1 receiver. The Golden Hurricane return the vast majority of their offensive starters and have a new head coach in Philip Montgomery, who was the coordinator of Baylor's ridiculous offensive attack for the last three seasons and a Bears assistant since 2006.
Nelson Spruce (Colorado)
8 of 10
2014: 106 catches (8.8 per game) for 1,198 yards and 12 touchdowns
Another sure-handed star on a struggling program, Spruce had one of the best statistical seasons of any receiver in college football last season—the rest of the country just didn't notice it.
Spruce had the highest catch-per-game mark of any returning receiver, and his 12 touchdowns tied him for seventh best nationally. He had more than twice as many catches and yards and three times the amount of touchdowns as Colorado's No. 2 receiver, Shay Fields.
The Buffs return most of their skill players from a 2-10 season in 2014. Spruce, the only player in program history to record at least 100 catches in a season, is the most accomplished player on the team, and the pressure will be on him to help guide Colorado out of the Pac-12's cellar this year.
D'haquille "Duke" Williams (Auburn)
9 of 10
2014: 45 catches (4.5 per game) for 730 yards and five touchdowns
Williams' numbers are some of the smallest on this list, but the situation he's in this season makes him one of the biggest go-to targets in all of college football.
The former JUCO star made some amazing catches in his first season at Auburn and surprised almost everyone with his decision to come back for his senior year. He finished third in the SEC in receiving yards per game with his incredible ability to make any big catch the Tigers needed.
Now Auburn looks set to become more of a passing team in 2015 with new starting quarterback Jeremy Johnson. Expect Williams to get a ton of balls thrown his way with the more polished Johnson in the pocket this season. After all, Auburn's second leading returner at receiver, Ricardo Louis, had only 21 catches for 261 yards in 2014.
De'Runnya Wilson (Mississippi State)
10 of 10
2014: 47 catches (3.9 per game) for 680 yards and nine touchdowns
While Mississippi State might not have many starters returning around star quarterback Dak Prescott, the Heisman candidate knows he has a tremendous target back in Wilson.
The 6'5", 215-pound Wilson is a matchup nightmare for any secondary, and he closed the Bulldogs' magical 2014 season with a pair of 100-yard games. Wilson consistently came through in pressure situations last year for some of the best big-catch numbers in the entire country, and now he'll carry even more weight as Prescott's No. 1 target in 2015.
"Using that basketball player’s frame to his advantage, he created space in the game’s biggest moments, catching 15 passes on third or fourth down—more than double the next closest receiver on his team," ESPN.com's Alex Scarborough wrote. "An eye-popping 70 percent of his catches resulted in a first down or touchdown."
All stats courtesy of CFBStats.com.
Justin Ferguson is an on-call college football writer at Bleacher Report. You can follow him on Twitter @JFergusonBR.
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