Best QB-WR Duos in College Football for 2015
The relationship between a quarterback and his top wide receiver is a mutually beneficial one but also one that includes a healthy dose of reliance. Each is very dependent on the other to perform at a high level, so much so that if one fails, the other tends not to succeed.
While a passing attack ideally should have as many viable targets as possible, most tend to have that one receiver whom the quarterback considers the top choice. This pairing ends up producing the most for a team, and when it's not clicking, it is usually noticeable in the overall results.
There are a number of great quarterback/wide receiver pairings in college football who return from last season—duos who were in sync in 2014 and figure to team up for big numbers this fall. We've ranked them based on past results and expected performance in 2015.
To be considered for ranking, the tandem had to have connected for at least five touchdown passes a year ago and be in line to start this season.
This Year's Potential Power Pairs
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While this ranking focuses on existing duos, there are several projected quarterback/wide receiver combinations for 2015 that are loaded with potential. However, their lack of results and experience caused them to miss the cut.
By the end of this season, however, that could be a different story. Here are some of the new tandems who should emerge over the next few months (quarterbacks are listed first):
- Luke Falk and Dom Williams, Washington State
- Christian Hackenberg and DaeSean Hamilton, Penn State
- Taysom Hill and Mitch Mathews, BYU
- Jeremy Johnson and D'haquille Williams, Auburn
- Seth Russell and KD Cannon, Baylor
- Deshaun Watson and Artavis Scott, Clemson
- Malik Zaire and William Fuller, Notre Dame
10. Zach Terrell and Corey Davis, Western Michigan
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No returning tandem combined for more touchdowns last year than Western Michigan juniors Zach Terrell and Corey Davis, who scored 15 times during the Broncos' breakout 2014 season. That's on top of the five times they connected as freshmen in 2013, setting the stage for last year's 8-5 record.
Terrell had 26 TD passes last year, with Davis by far his main target. The receiver had seven games with at least seven catches, and in a losing effort in the Famous Idaho Potato Bowl, he hauled in eight passes from Davis for 176 yards and three TDs.
Western Michigan gets to host Michigan State to open the season on Sept. 4, and the Terrell-Davis duo could wreak havoc on the Spartans' revamped secondary. A few weeks later, they'll get to work against defending national champion Ohio State's defense.
9. Brandon Doughty and Jared Dangerfield, Western Kentucky
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Brandon Doughty is a textbook example of a late bloomer, having missed most of two seasons with knee injuries but now making the most of prolonged health at the end of his career. That translated into national highs in passing yards (4,830) and touchdowns (49) at the wheel of Western Kentucky's prolific offense.
Doughty was granted a sixth year of eligibility for 2015, which means he gets another year to assault the record books and decimate opposing secondaries. And he's got several strong weapons to work with, as three of the Hilltoppers' top four receivers are back for this season.
The deadliest of the group is Jared Dangerfield, who was Doughty's No. 1 target in 2014. The pair hooked up for 11 TDs on 69 receptions, with a trio of two-TD games including in Western Kentucky's wild 67-66 overtime win at Conference USA champion Marshall.
8. Blake Frohnapfel and Tajae Sharpe, Massachusetts
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Massachusetts has been as far from relevance at the FBS level as is possible since moving up in competition in 2012, with just five wins in three seasons. But three of those came last year, when Blake Frohnapfel and Tajae Sharpe began to form a duo that should produce huge numbers in 2015.
"Last year, I was still trying to figure everything out," Frohnapfel told Daniel Malone of MassLive.com. "It's definitely a different comfort level for me."
Frohnapfel, a transfer from Marshall, threw for 3,345 yards and 23 touchdowns in 10 games for the Minutemen last year before breaking his leg and missing the final two contests. He was just starting to get hot, having led UMass to wins in three of four games while averaging 371.3 passing yards in that stretch.
Sharpe was Frohnapfel's favorite target, catching 76 passes in those first 10 games along with five TDs. Sharpe had 13 catches for 239 yards in Frohnapfel's final start, then hauled in only nine passes in UMass' last two games.
7. Chad Voytik and Tyler Boyd, Pittsburgh
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Tyler Boyd is considered one of the top wide receiver prospects in the country when it comes to the 2016 NFL draft, sitting high on watch lists and in mock drafts. And while he's put up big numbers at Pittsburgh, they could have been a lot better last season if not for the fact the Panthers also had a monster running back in 1,700-yard rusher James Conner.
Even with that factoring into Pitt's offense, Boyd and quarterback Chad Voytik still hooked up to the tune of 78 receptions, 1,261 yards and eight touchdowns. The yardage accounted for more than 56 percent of Voytik's production, while Boyd also hauled in half of his quarterback's TD throws.
The 6'2", 200-pound Boyd has 163 receptions for 2,435 yards and 15 TDs in his two seasons. He's on pace to become Pitt's all-time leader in catches and yards this fall, but he's 19 scores behind former Panther Larry Fitzgerald.
6. Anu Solomon and Cayleb Jones, Arizona
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Anu Solomon benefited from a very deep and talented receiving corps to have a stellar freshman year in 2014, throwing for 3,793 yards and 28 touchdowns while leading Arizona to the Pac-12 South title. And with nearly all of that group of pass-catchers back, he and the Wildcats should again be deadly through the air.
Solomon connected with nine different players for TDs last year but none more than Cayleb Jones. The 6'3", 215-pound Texas transfer led all Wildcats with 73 receptions, 1,019 yards and nine TDs, eight of which came from Solomon. That includes an 85-yard TD on the first play from scrimmage in a road win at UTSA and three connections for scores in Arizona's massive comeback win over California.
Jones and Solomon would be higher on this list if not for the fact Arizona has so many other strong receiving options. Five other players who had at least 23 receptions in 2014 are back, though DaVonte' Neal was shifted over to cornerback because of the Wildcats' receiving depth and secondary thinness.
5. Sefo Liufau and Nelson Spruce, Colorado
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Colorado hasn't won many games the last few seasons, and it probably won't do much better this year, but that won't be because of a lack of production from the pairing of quarterback Sefo Liufau and Nelson Spruce. The Buffaloes' struggles have actually been in spite of what that duo has done, which is quite a bit for a team that's 6-18 over the past two years.
In 2014, Liufau threw for 3,200 yards and 28 touchdowns, with Spruce on the receiving end of the bulk of that offense. The 6'1", 195-pound senior hauled in 106 catches for 1,198 yards and 12 TDs, all of which were more than any two other Colorado players tallied.
Spruce topped 10 receptions on four occasions, including a 19-catch, 179-yard, three-TD effort in an overtime loss at California. He needs 15 catches, 295 yards and four TDs to become the Buffaloes' all-time leader in each category.
4. Dak Prescott and De'Runnya Wilson, Mississippi State
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When you think back to what Mississippi State accomplished last season, most of the images that surface are of quarterback Dak Prescott using his great mobility to extend plays and create offense for the Bulldogs. He accounted for roughly two-thirds of the yardage, after all.
Yet Prescott didn't do it all alone, especially when he took to the air to move MSU down the field. De'Runnya Wilson was just as integral to the offense, catching a team-high nine touchdown passes from Prescott that included one each during the Bulldogs' big three-game run of wins over LSU, Auburn and Texas A&M.
Wilson, a 6'5", 215-pound junior, had five of his nine TD catches on third-down plays last year. According to the Clarion-Ledger's Michael Bonner, Prescott has referred to Wilson as "a quarterback's best friend."
3. Kyle Allen and Josh Reynolds, Texas A&M
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Josh Reynolds set Texas A&M's single-season receiving touchdown record with 13 last season, and it didn't matter which quarterback was throwing his way. He caught eight from Kenny Hill. After Kyle Allen took over as starter in November, that pairing connected five times over the final three games.
With Allen heading into his first season as full-time starter, it should be no surprise that Reynolds will be the one he looks to most often. Even though the Aggies return five players who had at least 29 catches in 2014 and also have freshman Christian Kirk in the mix, the relationship that Allen and Reynolds built down the stretch last year should carry over.
The 6'4", 195-pound Reynolds played one season at a junior college before joining A&M last year and quickly established himself as the go-to man all over the field. He had four TDs in the red zone but eight that went for more than 20 yards.
2. Trevone Boykin and Josh Doctson, TCU
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The breakthrough season that Trevone Boykin had in 2014 propelled TCU to a 12-1 record, a share of the Big 12 title and plenty of playoff consideration. It also has him in contention for the Heisman Trophy heading into this season, while the Horned Frogs are a trendy pick to battle for a national championship.
But where would Boykin and TCU have been last season if Josh Doctson weren't manning the No. 1 receiver spot?
Doctson was by far the Frogs' most reliable receiver a year ago, leading the team in receptions (65), yards (1,018) and touchdowns (11). Boykin threw him all of those TDs, accounting for one-third of his 33 scoring passes.
Both players are set to become TCU's career leader in numerous categories this season. Doctson needs 82 receptions, 1,282 yards and eight TDs to finish No. 1 overall, while Boykin needs 3,162 yards and 30 TDs to surpass Andy Dalton's school marks.
1. Cody Kessler and Juju Smith, USC
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Cody Kessler and Juju Smith may have only hooked up for five touchdown passes last season, but that was more due to the presence of Nelson Agholor than anything else. Now that Agholor has moved on to the NFL, Smith is poised to be USC's next great receiver.
The 6'2", 215-pound sophomore had a solid first season, with 54 receptions for 724 yards and five scores. All five of his TDs came in a three-game stretch in the middle of 2014, including when he and Kessler connected three times against Washington State.
Kessler, who had 39 TDs last year and completed nearly 70 percent of his passes, won't be lacking for options to throw to. Cornerback Adoree' Jackson emerged as a viable two-way threat late in 2014, and the Trojans have several other strong candidates to send out on passing routes.
But the Kessler-Smith pairing figures to be the top option for USC in clutch times. Much like Kessler usually turned to Agholor for the big plays last season, this fall it will be Smith handling that assignment.
Follow Brian J. Pedersen on Twitter at @realBJP.
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