2021 WR Recruiting Overview
Updated: January 5, 2021
Top 20 WR
- Emeka Egbuka – Ohio State
- Troy Franklin – Oregon
- Brian Thomas Jr
- Agiye Hall – Alabama
- Jayden Ballard – Ohio State
- Chris Hilton – LSU
- Christian Leary – Alabama
- Jacorey Brooks – Alabama
- Mario Williams – Oklahoma
- Billy Bowman – Oklahoma
- Marvin Harrison Jr – Ohio State
- Jojo Earle – Alabama
- Deion Colzie – Notre Dame
- Beaux Collins – Clemson
- Romello Brinson – Miami
- Dont’e Thronton – Oregon
- Deion Smith – LSU
- Cody Jackson – Oklahoma
- Lorenzo Styles Jr – Notre Dame
- Xavier Worthy – Michigan
Remaining Battles
Top WR Classes
- Ohio State – The Buckeyes got the #1 WR in the class and that was the difference here. Emeka Egbuka is a special talent and is clearly the best at the position. Ohio State added two more high end receivers with good size in Jayden Ballard and Marvin Harrison Jr. The class fits well together as all three players have different skill sets and can compliment each other.
- Alabama – The Crimson Tide were a close second. All four of their receiver commits rank in the top 12 at the position. Alabama has two players committed that are smaller and quicker and two that are bigger and more physically imposing. The class has a good mix and could leap past Ohio State if they secure a commitment from Brian Thomas Jr, who is still undecided.
- Oregon – The Ducks have the #2 receiver in the country committed. Franklin is an electric receiver who makes great plays seem easy. They’ve also landed Dont’e Thornton who is a big receiver with good ball skills. Isaiah Brevard is another quality prospect that rounds out a very complete Oregon receiver class.
- Oklahoma – The Sooners had a strong class as well, but lost the battle for Egbuka and as a result ended up third. Oklahoma still landed four quality prospects led my Mario Williams and Billy Bowman who are both top ten prospects. Cody Jackson ranks 18th on our list and Jalil Farooq was one of the players who just missed the top 20.
- LSU – The Tigers lost Jojo Earle’s commitment or they would have been higher on this list, but are still in the running for Brian Thomas Jr. LSU’s class is led by Chris Hinton and Deion Smith. They also have commitments from Malik Nabers and Jack Bech who are solid prospects as well. This is a good class for LSU, but could be great if they can add Thomas to it.
Top QB/WR Combos
- Kyle McCord to Emeka Egbuka – Ohio State landed the #2 ranked QB in our rankings and the #1 ranked WR. Buckeye fans should be excited to see what the duo can do together. McCord can make every throw he’s asked to and Egbuka has the size, speed and skill to hurt the defense in many ways. The duo should be unstoppable in Columbus.
- Ty Thompson to Troy Franklin – Oregon landed a prototypical quarterback prospect in Thompson and he will be throwing to a long and fast receiver with excellent ball skills in Franklin. Thompson’s arm strength will be very useful with Franklin stretching the field for the offense. The pair will make plenty of big plays for the Ducks.
- Caleb Williams to Mario Williams – Caleb Williams is an athletic freak at quarterback. He is going to make plenty of big plays in Norman and Mario Williams will be a big play threat for him to throw to quickly. Mario Williams is lightning quick and will be a nightmare to cover out of the slot. Caleb Williams in an elite athlete in his own right, and will be able to buy time and team up with Mario for plenty of big plays.
- Jalen Milroe to Agiye Hall – Milroe just missed our Top 10 QBs but was very close to the top 10. Hall has a very high ceiling and should develop into an excellent weapon at Alabama. Milroe is an excellent runner and will make it difficult for defenses with his legs as well as his arm. Hall and the other receivers in Alabama’s class will benefit from the added threat.
- Jake Garcia to Romello Brinson – Garcia and Brinson will fit excellently together. Garcia is an accurate passer who plays the game with rhythm and understands the nuances of the position. Brinson has good size, speed and hands and will benefit from having a quarterback that can anticipate well. He has the athletic ability to get open and Garcia will be able to take advantage of that athleticism and make big plays for the offense.
Teams That Surprised With Highly Regarded Receiver Commits
- Kansas – The Jayhawks got a major commitment from Texas receiver Quaydarius Davis. Davis is a very good prospect who had been committed to USC earlier this cycle. Kansas has not ranked a player of this stature in recent memory. Davis should be a major upgrade at receiver in Lawrence.
- West Virginia – The Mountaineers secured a commitment from Kaden Prather this recruiting cycle. Prather is a highly regarded prospect who gives West Virginia a boost at the receiver position. He is the highest ranked receiver to commit to West Virginia in the past five recruiting cycles.
- Indiana – Tom Allen has taken the Indiana program to new heights on the field and in recruiting. The Hoosiers continued that trend this cycle and have landed a good receiver prospect in Jaquez Smith out of the state of Georgia. Smith should thrive in an Indiana offense that looks to get the ball downfield to the receivers plenty.
- California – The Golden Bears have not recruited a highly regarded receiver since the 2016 recruiting class. This cycle they have secured commitments from two quality prospects. Both J Michael Sturdivant and Mavin Anderson are good prospects who should have a bright future at the collegiate level. California has made progress under Justin Wilcox and the talented receivers should provide a boost going forward.
Who Recruited Top WR Classes In Back To Back Years?
- Ohio State – The Buckeyes landed commitments from three players in the top 11 of our rankings in the 2021 class. This comes on the heels of landing a class that featured Julian Fleming, Jaxon Smith-Njigba, Gee Scott Jr and Mookie Cooper. Cooper has already transferred to Missouri, but the other three appear to have promising futures in Columbus. Even without Cooper, no one has landed as many high end receiver recruits as Ohio State in the last two cycles. Brian Hartline is on a tear on the recruiting trail and the results have been remarkable.
- Alabama – The Crimson Tide have one of the top two receiver classes in the country this year. Though last year’s class did not feature as much star power as the 2021 group, they still landed three good prospects in Thaiu Jones-Bell, Javon Baker and Traeshon Holden. As they do at almost every position on the field, the Crimson Tide are stacking talent at the receiver spot year after year and will have plenty of depth for years to come.
- LSU – The Tigers have a strong receiver class this year and though last year’s group was not as highly touted top to bottom the 2020 class did feature an elite prospect. Kayshon Boutte was an elite prospect who showed signs of being a big time player in his true freshman season. He was joined in the class by a pair of good prospects in Koy Moore and Alex Adams. The Tigers are reloading at receiver after losing several big stars to the NFL recently.
This page will be updated throughout the year.
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