College Football's Top Go-To Wide Receivers for 2016
A go-to wide receiver is a quarterback's best friend, and the 2016 college football season will feature several targets who can shoulder a heavy burden on offense.
In clutch moments, a program's signal-caller will often identify this receiver as the first option. Of course, that might also mean the quarterback becomes fixated on the wideout throughout the game.
Whether or not heavily relying on one target is a good thing depends on an offense's style, but these are 10 of the best, regardless.
Overall production, targets, team target share and completion percentage each factored into the list, which includes most of the nation's premier non-power-conference receivers.
Honorable Mentions
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Reasonable arguments can be made for these guys, but they didn't match the included players in at least one criterion.
- Artavis Scott, Clemson
- Penny Hart, Georgia State
- Matt VandeBerg, Iowa
- Allen Lazard, Iowa State
- Trent Taylor, Louisiana Tech
- Fred Ross, Mississippi State
- Chris Godwin, Penn State
- Keevan Lucas, Tulsa
- Taquan Mizzell (RB), Virginia
- Isaiah Ford, Virginia Tech
Courtland Sutton, SMU
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SMU was absolutely dreadful on defense last season. Fortunately, the Mustangs were reasonably entertaining on offense because of quarterback Matt Davis and wide receiver Courtland Sutton.
As a redshirt freshman, the 6'4", 215-pound Sutton was not simply the primary option; he was the receiver.
Sutton notched 49 catches for 862 yards and nine touchdowns. According to NCAA Savant, he garnered 25.9 percent of SMU's targets—a stunning 15.6 percent ahead of No. 2 wideout Xavier Castille.
A year of development for both Davis and Sutton combined with Chad Morris' offensive system should result in a massive year for the receiver—even if the Mustangs' final record isn't great.
Zay Jones, East Carolina
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East Carolina had a few notable options in 2015, but Isaiah "Zay" Jones carried the pass-catching group.
He reeled in 98 receptions on 131 targets (h/t NCAA Savant) for 1,099 yards and five touchdowns, dwarfing Bryce Williams—who finished second in each category with 58 catches on 83 targets, 588 yards and four scores, respectively.
Repeating that success will be challenging, though not impossible.
Blake Kemp and Kurt Benkert both transferred, and James Summers moved to running back. Quarterback Philip Nelson is expected to start but hasn't played since 2013 with Minnesota.
While Nelson settles into the starting job, he'll constantly be searching for the 6'1", 197-pound Jones on the outside.
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Kenny Golladay, Northern Illinois
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Two years ago, Kenny Golladay transferred from North Dakota to Northern Illinois. After a redshirt season, the 6'4" wideout immediately shined, exploding for nine receptions and 213 yards during his debut.
Overall, Golladay paced the Huskies with 73 catches, 1,129 yards and 10 touchdowns. He nearly doubled up the second-leading receiver (Aregeros Turner, 39) and almost tripled the No. 2 finisher (Tommylee Lewis, 398) in yards.
According to NCAA Savant, Golladay was one of 14 Football Bowl Subdivision receivers who was thrown at 75-plus times and collected at least 30 percent of his team's targets.
As long as quarterback Drew Hare is healthy, there's no question Golladay could put up similar numbers.
Calvin Ridley, Alabama
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As the 2015 season progressed, Alabama learned an important lesson: Get Calvin Ridley the ball.
Clemson did an excellent job containing the freshman, but the same cannot be said for most other opponents from October through the national championship game.
Ridley broke out against Georgia (5/120/1) and torched Arkansas (9/140/1) the next week. During the final 11 games, he managed fewer than five receptions just once. Ridley led the Crimson Tide with 89 catches, 1,045 yards and seven scores.
NFL.com's Lance Zierlein called Ridley a "faster Amari Cooper." That's enormous praise for the sophomore.
Taywan Taylor, Western Kentucky
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Western Kentucky did a terrific job spreading the ball around when Brandon Doughty was at quarterback. But when the Hilltoppers needed a big play, Doughty looked for Taywan Taylor.
He tied for the most 50-plus-yard receptions (eight) in the FBS, recorded the second-most catches of 40-plus yards (11) and tallied the fourth-most 30-plus gains (16).
Additionally, Taylor snared 23 of 27 red-zone targets, per NCAA Savant. Following the departures of Jared Dangerfield and Tyler Higbee, Taylor will only receive more looks near the goal line.
Taylor—a 6'1", 195-pound playmaker—reeled in 86 passes for 1,467 yards (No. 3 nationally) and 17 touchdowns (No. 2).
Thomas Sperbeck, Boise State
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Bleacher Report's Justin Ferguson believes Boise State quarterback Brett Rypien, running back Jeremy McNichols and wide receiver Thomas Sperbeck will form one of the nation's best trios in 2016.
It's hard to disagree, especially when considering Sperbeck.
Last season, he garnered the sixth-most targets (140), per NCAA Savant. Highlighted by a 20-catch, 281-yard outburst against New Mexico, Sperbeck accumulated 88 receptions, 1,412 yards—sixth-best nationally—and eight scores.
Sperbeck should once again finish among the nation's leaders in both catches and yards this year.
Richie James, Middle Tennessee
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Put simply, Richie James tore apart secondaries last season.
The redshirt freshman registered at least six catches in all 13 games and reached double digits four times. James had 108 receptions—tied for second-most in the FBS—1,346 yards and eight scores.
His 29.8 percent target share ranked 17th nationally among players with at least 75 looks, according to NCAA Savant. James' next step is becoming an elite red-zone option.
Since Middle Tennessee lost 1,000-yard receiver Ed'Marques Batties, James will be the team's runaway No. 1 receiver in 2016.
Gabe Marks, Washington State
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No receiver was more productive in the red zone than Gabe Marks. After all, the object of football is to score touchdowns.
According to NCAA Savant, Marks snatched an FBS-best 11 of those inside the 20-yard line—edging Cal's Kenny Lawler (10) and Washington State teammate Dom Williams (nine).
"[W]eek after week he makes big play after big play," Stanford head coach David Shaw said of Marks, per ESPN's Kevin Gemmell. "He's a threat to take it the distance, and he's also a threat in the red zone. He can go up over you, he can run by you. He's very, very good."
Marks racked up 104 receptions (No. 4 nationally), 1,192 yards (No. 19) and 15 touchdowns (No. 4).
Corey Davis, Western Michigan
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Western Michigan's passing attack relied on receivers Daniel Braverman and Corey Davis in 2015. This season, Davis will occupy an even greater role because his counterpart is no longer in the slot.
Prepare for an unruly amount of targets heading Davis' way. He already accounted for 34.1 percent last year, per NCAA Savant.
"I'm extremely happy he's here," quarterback Zach Terrell said, according to Justin Dacey of MLive. "He makes it easy for me. He's so good, and he makes me look good all the time."
A stunning 8.7 percent of Davis' targets came inside the red zone—which ranked third nationally among receivers with at least 15 red-zone looks. He amassed 90 catches, 1,436 yards and 12 scores.
JuJu Smith-Schuster, USC
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JuJu Smith-Schuster shredded defenses for 89 receptions, 1,454 yards and 10 touchdowns. However, Cody Kessler directed 30.7 percent of his pass attempts toward Smith-Schuster, per NCAA Savant.
Why is that bad news? He obliterated Steven Mitchell Jr.'s second-best target share of 12.1 percent, and Smith-Schuster more than tripled the 414 yards from No. 2 receiver Adoree' Jackson.
The discrepancy was so glaring that USC actually focused on spreading the ball around this spring.
"We're trying to change the history of one receiver (catching most of the passes)," Smith-Schuster said, per Scott Wolf of the Los Angeles Daily News. "In order to beat another team, everyone has to do their job. It's not just one guy to rely on. We've built that (during the spring)."
But once the regular season arrives, don't be surprised if quarterback Max Browne falls into the same trap as Kessler. Receivers like Smith-Schuster don't come around often.
All recruiting information via 247Sports. Stats from CFBStats.com or B/R research unless otherwise noted. Quotes obtained firsthand unless otherwise noted. Follow Bleacher Report CFB writer David Kenyon on Twitter @Kenyon19_BR.
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