Projecting College Football's Top 7 Receiving Stars in 2024

Look through the best offenses in college football, and you're very likely to find one of the nation's most talented wide receivers.

And they're not always a veteran player.

During the 2024 campaign, for example, few wideouts made as significant an impact as Ohio State's true freshman star Jeremiah Smith. Plus, several other sophomores held key roles on conference-winning and College Football Playoff-qualifying teams.

These are not necessarily the players who will amass the greatest statistics; rather, these are seven of the most talented wide receivers set to return for the 2025 season.

Ryan Williams began his Alabama career on a sizzling streak.

Signed as a 5-star in the 2024 cycle, he made an immediate splash with two receptions for 139 yards and two touchdowns during his debut in Tuscaloosa. Williams scored in each of his first five games, highlighted by a crucial touchdown in a dramatic win over Georgia.

Although his production cooled as the season went on, Williams showed his terrific upside. He caught 48 passes and notched Bama-high totals of 865 yards and eight touchdowns.

No matter who replaces Jalen Milroe in 2025, there's not much of a question that Williams be the Crimson Tide's most dynamic target.

As a freshman at Colorado in 2022, Jordyn Tyson emerged as the best target on a bad team. He reeled in 22 passes for 470 yards and four touchdowns, then transferred to Arizona State.

Unfortunately for Tyson, a knee injury limited him to three appearances and zero catches in 2023.

But that setback simply delayed one heck of a breakout.

Tyson exploded for 75 catches with 1,101 yards and 10 touchdowns last season, playing a vital part of Arizona State's surprise surge to winning the Big 12 and making the College Football Playoff. Although a collarbone injury ended his year before those marquee games, Tyson combined with Cam Skattebo to propel ASU's offense down the stretch.

Skattebo is headed to the NFL, so Tyson will return in 2025 as the Sun Devils' featured skill-position player.

I mean this in the kindest possible way: Eric Singleton Jr. is an incredibly annoying wide receiver.

Listed at 5'11" and 190 pounds, he's not overwhelming in stature. However, he's a quick, shifty and versatile player who Georgia Tech peppered with targets yet also utilized as a motion man and decoy.

Singleton tallied 48 receptions for 714 yards and six scores in his freshman year and posted a 56/754/3 line in 2024. He also picked up 131 yards and a touchdown on 21 carries last season, after which he entered the transfer portal and landed at Auburn.

Cam Coleman, a 5-star signee, is a potential impact freshman like Smith and Williams were in 2024; the excitement for him is merited.

Singleton, though, is a more established player and should be able to thrive in Hugh Freeze's offense.

In what should be a truly stacked receiving corps at Clemson, the best of the talented bunch is Antonio Williams.

During his freshman year in 2022, he snagged four touchdowns and paced the Tigers with 56 receptions and 604 yards. Injuries limited him to five appearances in 2023, but he responded last season with Clemson-best marks of 75 catches, 904 yards and 11 scores.

And there's a serious chance that production will climb.

Cade Klubnik—who made substantial progress in his second year as a starter—and four starters on the offensive line are back, along with coordinator Garrett Riley. Continuity does not guarantee anything, but this level of familiarity usually isn't a bad thing.

Clemson will spread the ball around to Bryant Wesco Jr., T.J. Moore and Tyler Brown, but Williams has All-American ability.

Nic Anderson is hoping to follow a track similar to Tyson's past.

Two years ago, Anderson racked up 38 catches for 798 yards—a scorching 21.0-yard average that ranked fifth nationally—and 10 touchdowns on a prolific, Dillon Gabriel-led Oklahoma offense.

But in 2024, a quad injury wrecked his season. Anderson played only a handful of snaps and recorded no stats.

Anderson decided to transfer and found his way to LSU, which enters the 2025 offseason with building hype. As quarterback Garrett Nussmeier returns, the Tigers reinforced his supporting cast by plucking Anderson, Kentucky wide receiver Barion Brown and OU tight end Bauer Sharp, among others, out of the portal.

While adjusting to a new offense takes time, the 6'4" Anderson has already proven he's a game-breaking talent.

Emeka Egbuka provided a much-needed steady, veteran presence to a young receiving corps in 2024.

Also: Ohio State doesn't win a national title without Jeremiah Smith.

To start his freshman year, he scored at least once in seven consecutive games. Smith then thrived when it mattered most, ripping apart Tennessee and Oregon for a combined 290 yards and four touchdowns on 13 catches. After a quiet day against Texas, he snared five passes—including the national title-sealing grab—for 88 yards and a score in the triumph over Notre Dame.

Smith, a second team AP All-American, wrapped up the Buckeyes' championship season with 76 catches for 1,315 yards and 15 touchdowns. He added one rushing score, as well.

There isn't a more respected—or, perhaps better said—more feared wide receiver in the country.

Evan Stewart put together another good season in 2024. Now, the fourth-year receiver is aiming for great.

Back in 2022, he debuted at Texas A&M with 53 catches for 649 yards and two scores. Stewart recorded a 38/514/4 line in 2023 but missed a handful of games due to injury, then he transferred to Oregon and went for 48 receptions with 613 yards and five touchdowns.

So, again: Good seasons. Yet that's also why he's back in 2025.

In addition to losing quarterback Dillon Gabriel, the Ducks have to replace Tez Johnson and Traeshon Holden. Their new-look offense will be leaning on Stewart to guide the receiving unit, along with helping Gabriel's successor—be it Dante Moore or Austin Novosad—adjust to the spotlight.

Stewart's potential has so far outweighed his production; but next season, Oregon's passing game should revolve around him.